Let's Kick It Up A Notch!
by MoonlightNinja55
Summary: Let's face it. Dawn likes Paul. Paul likes Dawn. It was bound to happen! However, when neither knows of the other's feelings, Cupid steps in to help! Time to kick it up a notch! Ikarishipping! XD UPDATE: DISCONTINUED D:
1. An Old Friend!

**Let's Kick It Up A Notch!**

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Hey, everyone! I'm Akiko Arihima, bringing you my first ever ikarishipping fanfic!

Dawn: Yay! Sounds exciting!

Paul: Yippee. *spins finger in a circle*

Me: *glares at Paul* Alright, Mr. Sarcastic! You get to do the disclaiming thing first.

Paul: NO.

Me: You have to!

Paul: Why should I?

Me: Cuz…NOSE GOES! *touches nose*

Dawn: *touches nose*

Paul: WHAT! This is-!

Me: Apaba! Say it!

Paul: *grunts* MoonlightNinja55 disclaims Pokemon. She only claims the characters that she makes. THERE. Happy?

Me: Very!

Dawn: *golden aura of purity surrounds her* Okay, everyone! Please, enjoy!

Me: *cries dramatically* So…innocent…!

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**~Prologue~**

A certain dark-haired bluette sighed heavily as she fussed with herself. It couldn't have been him. No way! It was practically impossible. What are the chances of seeing him at a Pokemon Contest? Slim to none!

But she did see him. She did! There's no one else she knows that has that short dark purple hair, those deep obsidian eyes, and that cocky smile that always made her stomach flutter…

~Flashback~

"_And the winner of this year's Pokemon Contest is…Dawn from Twinleaf Town!"_

_Pandemonium broke loose as the audience roots, cheers, and whistles. Dawn, in her cute pink dress and with her hair tied back in a ponytail, waved to the crowd ecstatically as she was awarded with a ribbon by a gentleman who congratulated her._

_"I can't believe it! We did it, Piplup!" Dawn exclaimed as she picked him and spun him around once._

_"Piplup!" he cheered proudly as he was set back down. Brock, Ash, Pikachu, and the rest of her pokemon came down from their seats to congratulate her as well._

_"Hey, great job out there," Brock complimented her._

_"Yeah! Way to go!" Ash joined in. Pikachu and her pokemon did the same._

_"Oh, wow! Thanks, everyone!" Dawn appreciated._

_Just then, something caught her eye. Behind all her friends, from across the room, a guy with dark purple hair was crossing his arms while leaning against the wall. For a moment in time, their eyes locked and Dawn felt like they were the only two people there. His cold black eyes softened and he smirked at her. Her heart pounded._

_"L-Look! It's Paul!" she gasped and pointed out, but as soon as Brock, Ash, and the others turned their heads, a random group of people walked past their view and Paul was gone._

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(Theme song)

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**~Chapter 1: An Old Friend!~**

"Daaad! Are we there yet?" Paxie complained to him from the back seat of the car.

"No, Paxie, not yet!" he answered her for the tenth time today. He sighed while Paxie pouted, crossed her arms, and huffed. All this waiting made her irritated. When were they going to get there? It feels like for_ever_! She's practically been dying for this trip to come. FOUR YEARS is how long it took and NOW she has to wait some more? Ugh! As she silently steamed on whiny thoughts, her Espeon stared at the distressed teen, concerned. She nuzzled against her cheek affectionately, trying to cheer her up. It did the trick. She smiled warmly and even giggled.

"Ok!" Paxie said, giving in. "Alright! Thank you, Elanor!"

Elanor stopped and smiled too as she was rewarded with a nice rub on her head. Paxie's dad looked into the rear view mirror briefly and grinned as well.

Paxie, Elanor, and her dad were all riding in an old blue car. Magazines, used tissues, empty water bottles, and other junk littered the floor on the inside. The leather seats were worn out and stained and chip crumbs, as well as bits of pokemon food and a few fries, got stuck between the cracks. As for the compartment in front of the passenger's seat, it was stuffed with CDs that were a mix of country, alternative, and rock music. Her dad never allows her to touch his precious radio, so it stayed quiet throughout the entire drive. On the outside of the van, the paint completely faded over time and had become rusted.

Her dad always says he'll fix the car up, but he never does. He'd be too "busy" or just too "tired."

"Not now, Paxie. Maybe after the meeting," he would say, or, "I promise I'll give her a paint job after my nap." Well, that nap was a week ago, and the dirty windows don't look better either.

After a while, Paxie began to tap her foot impatiently again and crossed her arms.

"You know, we would get there a lot faster if you weren't driving, oh, I don't know…10 MILES PER HOUR?"

He didn't move. He didn't even blink. All he did was focus his concentration on the road in front of him.

"Hey, dad! Dad?" Paxie tried to get his attention.

Nothing.

"Dad, hello? Hello!"

Silence.

"DAD! YOU'RE GONNA RUN OVER A SQUIRREL!"

"WHAT?"

He steered left and the car sharply swerved, making Paxie slide over and squish her Espeon. Poor Elanor yelped in shock and fear. The stuff on the floor shifted to the right and the little Pikachu bobble head on the dashboard bobbled crazily in every direction. Paxie's dad frantically corrected the direction of the car and it was all over in just seconds. He parked the car on the right-hand side of the road, turned off the ignition, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Whoops! False alarm!" Paxie said, looking behind to see through the back window. "It was only a tree branch. My bad!"

Her Espeon and dad both gave her a hard glare. Elanor's hair was sticking up and her dad just lost his nerves.

"Paxie?" he said sternly, staring at her at eye level.

"Yes?"

"DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN! YOU ALMOST GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK!"

"Um…I'm sorry?" Paxie apologized like it was a question and shrugged.

The spring from the Pikachu bobble head suddenly jumped out, and Pikachu's head now had a long coiled neck that moved up and down like an accordion.

There was a moment of awkward, tense silence.

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After a minute or two, Paxie's dad finally grunted and turned on the ignition, but not before giving his daughter a cold harsh stare. Elanor scooted closer to her side of the seat and didn't speak to Paxie the whole way again as her dad refocused on his driving. Paxie just sat there and blinked twice, the look of innocence.

It didn't take long before her dad was squinting through the brown-colored window shield to try and read a passing sign.

It said, "Twinleaf Town."

Paxie's eyes immediately had lit up in delight. "We're here? We're here! Oh my gosh we're here! We're here! We're HERE!" she squealed happily as she grabbed her Espeon and hugged her tight. She sweat dropped.

"_Well, glad to see she's back to her normal self_," Elanor thought with a tired sigh.

A few houses were dotted here and there on lush green grass as they passed by. Paxie rolled down her window and stuck her head out to feel the rush of fresh air. "Aaaah!" she sighed contently. She liked the feeling of the wind in her hair. Just then, she took off her seatbelt and stood on her seat, pushing more of herself out the window to get a better view. She covered her eyes with her hand and smiled warmly at the white plush clouds drifting by in that vast blue sea above and at the bright golden orb, the sun. Her dad's half-closed eyes glanced at his left rear view mirror for a moment and thought, "_Oh, my daughter's sticking out the window like that. That's normal_," before returning his sights back on the road. Suddenly, an alarm had set off in his head and he quickly looked back at the rear view mirror to confirm what he saw. He gaped at Paxie.

"P-Paxie! What do you think you're doing? Get back in the car this instant!" he ordered.

"What? I just wanted to take a look around!" she whined defensively. All of a sudden, the car ran over a big rock and jumped.

"Woah!" Paxie said, and lost her balance, almost falling out the window.

"PAXIE!" her father shouted.

In the nick of time, Elanor snatched her belt with her mouth. She closed her eyes shut and struggled with all her might to pull Paxie back into the car. At last, Paxie was placed in safety's hands and landed on her back with an, "Ooof!" Elanor slumped in her seat and panted, all her feelings of worry melting. Sweat was evident on her forehead and cheeks.

Paxie's dad wiped the sweat off his forehead with one hand and steered the wheel with the other. Then, he put on a grim look.

"Young lady, if this keeps up, you'll be waving Sinnoh an early farewell. You're lucky Elanor had caught you this time. You need to _be careful_. Are we clear?"

She muttered, "Yes, Dad," and sat herself upright and buckled up. She rolled up the window and stroked Elanor's back in an effort to settle her down. She tensed up at first, but then heavily sighed and laid down, resting her head in Paxie's lap. Paxie smiled down at her, her way of saying sorry.

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Silence fell upon the three again, but it was a comfortable one. However, it was also short-lived, because the car soon screeched to a gentle stop.

"Ok. NOW we're really here," Paxie's dad announced as he killed the engine once more. "Paxie, can you help me with the suitcases in the-?"

Too late. The girl had already opened the car door and bolted out, Elanor closely following behind. Her dad grunted as he got out, slammed the doors shut, and came over to the back trunk. It wasn't closed all the way. In fact, it was wide open, with suitcases upon suitcases that could have had the potential to spew out, if there hadn't been any rope to hold it down. He sweat dropped.

Meanwhile, Paxie and Elanor both rushed up the porch steps of a pretty big house and Paxie knocked the door. They waited for a moment. No one came. She knocked again. This time, a woman's voice from the inside called out, "I'm coming!" They waited again and in seconds, someone opened the door.

A woman with dark blue hair and a single red barrette gasped in surprise. "Paxie!" she exclaimed as she embraced her. "Oh, it's so good to finally see you! My, how tall you've grown!"

"Good to see you too, Ms. Johanna!" Paxie chirped.

"Oh, and look at that! Is that your Eevee?" Johanna asked as she bent down and held out her hand. Elanor sniffed it and licked it kindly. Johanna grinned as she gained the privilege to pet her.

"Yep! She evolved into Espeon and I renamed her Elanor! Doesn't that sound awesome?"

"It sure does! So, how old are you again, Paxie?" Johanna questioned as she got back up.

"I'm 13 now."

"Oh, wow! And to think you were only a kid last time we saw you here! Where's your father?"

"Oh, he's over…" she said, tracing her finger and pointing him out. His arms and hands were all occupied by a lot of suitcases. In his hands, he carried a whole stack of them piled so high, his view was completely blocked! He even held a bag by its handles with his mouth! Paxie and Johanna sweat dropped.

"Hello, Al!" Ms. Johanna called with a wave. He tilted his head to the right of the stack and quickly waved back before recovering his balance. He tried to tell them something, but it came out too soft and jumbled.

"Hachie, can wu welp meh wift tee wags?" he said, but no one understood or heard him.

"So why don't you and Elanor come in? I put some lemonade out and baked a fresh cherry pie!" Ms. Johanna offered with a gesture of her hand. Their stomachs growled at the thought.

"Pokemon food for Elanor, please!" Paxie said as they all headed inside. Little by little, her dad took a step up the porch stairs, but he tripped on the last one. He yelped, the bag in his mouth landed on his foot, yelped again, brought his foot up to his hands to sooth the pain, but suitcases quickly rained down and crashed on him. He twitched and cried at his aches and bruises under the mountain of luggage. He revealed one hand that held a white sock and waved it in surrender.

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"Wait up, Dawn!" Ash called out to the bluette, exhausted. "What's the rush?"

"Pika, pi!" Pikachu cried, tagging along beside his master and best friend.

"I can't stop now! When I talked to my mom at the Pokemon Center, she said to come home ASAP!" Dawn shouted over her shoulder.

"Pip…lup!" Dawn's cute blue penguin huffed, losing energy each time he tried to catch up to her.

"Did she…say what…it was about?" Brock barely got the words out.

"No! That's why I gotta know what's going on!"

Groans and sighs responded to this.

After quite a few adventures, our heroes return to Twinleaf Town where Dawn must urgently get home. However, how will she and the others react when they find what's waiting in store for them? Tune in next time to find out! See you soon!

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Me: And that concludes Chapter 1! Sorry if it was kind of short, but I hope you all liked it! More ikarishipping will come! Feel free to leave any comments or reviews! Stick around for the next one soon! Byez!


	2. Reunion and Rebellion

**Let's Kick It Up A Notch!**

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Me: Alright people! Here's Chapter 2! Dawn, I believe it's your turn!

Dawn: Okay! MoonlightNinja55 does _not_ own Pokemon! Only the characters she makes! Was that good?

Me: Perfecto!

Paul: Why'd you need me here then?

Me: Because I want you and Dawn to stay and hear the story!

Paul: Again. HELL NO.

Me: *covers Dawn's ears and gasps* Watch your language, mister! We don't need you poisoning this girl's mind!

Paul: *rolls eyes* I'm leaving you two dorks. *walks towards door, but it's locked* What the-?

Me: Yes, I locked the door. And I hid the key somewhere you'll never find it! So you might as well sit and relax, cuz we're gonna be here for a while. *pats spot next to Dawn*

Paul: What? There's no way I'm gonna waste my time just-! *looks at Dawn*

Dawn: *smiles at him warmly*

Paul: *hesitates and looks away to blush* F-Fine… *sits down cross-legged*

Dawn and Me: *victory sign* Ok! Please enjoy!

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**~Chapter 2: Reunion and Rebellion~**

"I can see my house! We're almost there!" Dawn exclaimed. Piplup, Ash, Pikachu, and Brock all gave sighs of relief. Their feet pounded harder on the packed earth as they picked up speed. There was a big house in the distance that got closer with each step they took. Dawn had a wide smile on her face. It's been a while since she's been home. She was actually looking forward to seeing her mom again. She'll hug her and tell her all about the adventures she had so far. She laughed in joy at the idea.

Suddenly, she got lost in her thoughts, and just kept on running, blocking out all sounds and voices.

"_I'll show my mom the first ribbon I earned!_" Dawn thought. "_She'll be so happy and proud of me. I can't wait to show her! And then I'll show her all the cool pokemon I collected too, like Buneary, Pachirisu-!_"

"Watch out!" a familiar voice had finally reached her ears. She looked up and was immediately pulled away from her rambling when she saw a blue Frisbee flying right towards her! She opened her mouth as if to scream, but didn't had the time to react and the Frisbee bumped into her forehead.

"Ouch!" was all she could say as she fell back on the grass with a thud. A painful headache now throbbed in her head. She lifted a hand to feel the spot where the Frisbee had made contact with her. Then, she closed her eyes tight and moaned.

"I-I'm so sorry, Dawn! Are you ok?" the same voice that warned her said.

"Ugh…I'm fine, Ash…" grumbled Dawn as she reopened her eyes steadily. At that point, her eyes grew wide and she gasped in surprise.

"What? Who the heck is Ash?" a girl said irritated while she was bent over and placed her hands on her hips. The girl then offered Dawn a hand. "Don't you remember me?"

Dawn still stared at the girl as she took her hand. "Y-You're…!" Dawn stuttered as she and the girl both stood up. Dawn stood back a bit to point at the girl. "Paxie?"

"Yay! You do remember!" Paxie exclaimed, overjoyed, as she picked up Dawn and spun her around. "I knew you would remember! I mean, I'm pretty hard to forget, right? I can't believe you got so much cuter!"

"Okay, great…I missed you too…but could you…put me down?" Dawn choked the words out.

"Oh, yeah! Sorry!" Paxie apologized with a sweat drop as she set her down. At that moment, an Espeon seized the chance to give Dawn back her white hat with the pink pokemon ball symbol since it fell too.

"Oh, cool! An Espeon!" Dawn chirped as she took back her hat and patted the little guy's head.

"Yep! She used to be my Eevee!" Paxie explained. "Now she evolved! I renamed her Elanor!"

"Espeon! (A pleasure to meet you again!)" Elanor spoke up.

"Wow! It's so great to see you too!" Dawn replied. She then got out her pink Pokedex and opened it, holding it up against Elanor.

"Espeon," informed her Pokedex. "The Sun/Psychic Pokemon. Its fur has the look and feel of velvet. The orb on its forehead glows when it uses psychic-power."

"Awesome!" complimented Paxie as she looked over Dawn's shoulder. "That's a handy device ya got there!"

"It's no biggie," Dawn said while smiling in embarrassment and putting her Pokedex away.

Just then, Piplup, Ash, Pikachu, and Brock had at last caught up to Dawn. They collapsed instantly on the ground.

"Oh no! Are you guys alright?" Dawn spoke in concern.

"We're…fine!" Ash muttered with a tired smile and swirly eyes. "Just a little woozy, that's all…hey, look at all the Altarias! They're so fluffy! One, two, three, four…"

The other guys all had similar reactions. Dawn and Paxie sweat dropped.

"It looks like they could use a hand too!" Paxie offered. Both her and Dawn began to help each one up. When Paxie helped up Brock, Brock's eyes instantly turned from swirly to love struck.

"Gasp! It's my true love!" he exclaimed, bending down on one knee and taking hold of her hand.

Dawn and Ash both smacked their foreheads while Pikachu and Piplup sighed. Elanor just cocked her head to the side as Paxie stammered in disbelief, "I'm your w-what?"

"It's true! The moment I laid eyes on you, my heart hammered harder than a stampede of wild Kangaskhans! You're beauty is out of this world! You're smile shines better than any star I've ever seen! Your eyes are like the moon at night that glows a gentle ivory glow! And, together, our love could burn more passionately than the golden sun-!"

"I think that's enough out of you, young fellow!"

An older man with a muscular structure had pulled on Brock's ear and was glaring angrily at him. He had short curly jet-black hair, a broad face with aftershave beard, rich amber eyes, deep tan skin, pure white teeth like on Orbit commercial, and was about six feet tall.

"Don't EVER try to flirt with my daughter again! You understand?" he yelled at Brock strictly.

"D-Daughter?" everyone cried out, except for Paxie. Paxie covered her face in embarrassment.

"Oh, boy," she sighed.

Without anyone's notice, Croagunk was just staring at his paw as its purple glow began to fade.

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(Theme song)

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"Let's try this again," Dawn suggested after they all ate their share of cherry pie. "Brock, Ash, this is Paxie. Paxie, this is Brock and Ash."

Paxie had ebony black hair that blended into hot pink at the tips. It was tied back into a one-sided ponytail by a yellow scrunchy and the hair that stuck up was smoothed out by a purple headband. Her wavy bangs almost touched her amethyst eyes. Her skin color was a light tan and her face was sort of heart-shaped. She was wearing a bright yellow hoodie with a double-sided pocket on the bottom and short sleeves that were striped pink. A white, black-studded belt with a Pokemon ball symbol on the side held up her black capris with purple zebra stripes on it. She also wore white socks and purple high tops with no shoelaces.

Once the "hellos" were exchanged, Paxie said, "Elanor, this is Pikachu and Piplup. Pikachu, Piplup, this is Elanor."

"Espe! Espeon, espe! (Greetings! What an honor to meet such a fine brace of gentlemen!)"

"Pika, pika! (Yo! Back at ya!)"

"Pip, lup! (Nice meeting you too!)"

They walked away, heading over to the nearest couch to sit and talk. Paxie tapped her chin, thinking hard about something. Suddenly, a light bulb switched on in her head.

"Oh, hey! Now I know!" she exclaimed with a snap.

"Know about what?" Dawn asked.

"Hold that thought!" Paxie said quickly as she sped down the hallway, found her bag in the pile of luggage, unzipped it, rummaged through it, and pulled out a magazine. "Aha!" she declared victoriously while running back over to them and flipping through articles until she found the right page.

"I knew I heard those names before! Take a look! Brock and Ash made it to the Top 10 coolest guys to date, according to my Cleffa Cutie Gossip magazine!"

"What?" they all shouted in surprise. Three heads peaked over Paxie's shoulders and realized that she was right. The article was about the Top 10 and Brock's and Ash's pictures were in it. Their description and achievements were also placed on the right.

"That's great…I guess?" Ash said, not knowing how else to respond.

"Wow! Then I'm bound to date a cute girl sooner or later!" Brock hoped with pink heart eyes. Dawn sighed with a sweat drop while Paxie smiled proudly.

Out of the blue, a firm hand laid upon Brock's shoulder. Brock looked up and almost yelped in astonishment.

"Did you say, 'date a cute girl'?" Paxie's dad questioned with a serious tone. "You aren't talking about my daughter again, are you?" He squeezed Brock's shoulder with a mighty grip.

"S-Sir, no, sir!" Brock opposed as he shook his head fiercely side to side. Paxie's dad had at last released his hold and smiled a hearty smile.

"Hahaha! Just kidding with you, son!" he laughed as he punched Brock once in the arm. Brock grinned through gritted teeth as he rubbed his shoulder and arm.

"Dad, _please _don't embarrass me anymore while we're here!" Paxie begged to him. "These are just Dawn's friends, not a couple of boys who pick on me! I can take care of myself, honest!"

"Haha, aren't you such a cutie?" he joked as he pinched her cheek. Her face turned beet red. "Daaaad! Stop it!" she whined as she slapped his hand away and huffed while rubbing her cheek. Dawn, Ash, and Brock all sweat dropped.

"So!" her dad said as he rubbed his hands together and grabbed both Ash and Brock in a headlock. "Will you two boys help me out with my car? It needs some good scrubbing!"

Helplessly, Ash and Brock agreed with muttered "Okays." They were then dragged off by him, still in headlocks. Paxie practically fumed.

"What? Oh, NOW he chooses the time to clean the car!" she complained as she followed Dawn upstairs to her bedroom. "What is with that guy? He would always be so lazy when it comes to the car, but when a few guys come within ten feet of me, he acts so…so…different! I can't stand him!" They were coming down the hall now. "Oh, and what's up with his macho attitude? He never acts that way either! At home, he acts like he's already in a retirement home and I'm the nurse who has to tend to his every need! 'Paxie, can you bring the remote control to me?' or 'Paxie, can you pour the coffee?' or even 'Paxie, I can't do this, so can you do it for me?' I am so sick of it!" Dawn opened the door to her room now. "Is he trying, to ruin, my…" Paxie slammed the door closed. "LIFE?"

She panted hard, and Dawn just stared at her in bewilderment. She waited a few moments for Paxie to catch her breath. Then, Paxie said something random.

"Ooh! Is that a Poke Doll?" she asked as she flopped on Dawn's bed and snatched up a pink Cleffa doll. "These things are soo kawaii!"

Dawn sweat dropped for like the fifth time. "Glad to have you back, onee-chan!"

"Same here, imouto!" They both hugged each other.

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"Alright, now it's time to get down to business."

"What business?" Dawn asked suspiciously.

"Your love life, of course! _That_ business!" Paxie pointed out.

"My what?"

"What do you mean, 'my what'? You clearly stated in the letters you sent me that you had some boy trouble. So tell me: who's on your mind?"

"D-Do we have to talk about this now?" Dawn spoke out in defense, feeling awkward and embarrassed about the subject.

"Yes! It's a matter of utmost importance!"

"Says who?"

"Says me!"

Another sweat drop.

"C'mon, imouto! You have to tell me now or never, while the guys are distracted. Otherwise, there won't be another chance for me to give you advice!"

"I don't know, onee-chan…" she said, sounding unconvinced. Paxie sighed. Guess she'll have to play _that_ card.

"Okay. I guess you don't have to tell me. But, do you know who gives better advice than me?" A flash of fear crossed Dawn's face.

"You wouldn't!"

Paxie smirked. Three, two, one…

She dashed to the door and opened it. "Oh, Ms. Johannaaaa!"

Dawn rushed towards Paxie and hurriedly covered her mouth. "Ok! You win! I'll tell you! Just get back in here!" Paxie smiled smugly and nodded her head, closing the door. They both sat back on the bed. Dawn was tired.

"So who is it?"

Finally seeing that there's no way to avoid the question any longer, Dawn answered "It's this guy…named Paul."

"Oooh! Sounds cool! What's he like?"

"Well…" Dawn thought about it. "He's confident and a good pokemon trainer, but he's definitely not the social type. And most of the time, I can't figure him out!"

"Ah, he's the mysterious type! What else?"

"He's bossy and cruel towards his pokemon. He doesn't care for them at all, and he's arrogant, selfish, and just plain mean!"

"Ok, so you're in love with a jerk?"

"I-I never said I liked him!"

"But you said he was on your mind."

"Yeah? So what?"

"So? Why think of him at all?"

"I don't know!" Dawn shouted, throwing her hands up, exasperated. "I don't know! I just don't…know." With the last word, she sighed, frustrated now. She ran her fingers through her hair and Paxie gazed at her sympathetically.

"Help me understand, Dawn," Paxie whispered gently. "What is it that you like about him?"

Lots of things raced through Dawn's mind when Paxie asked that question. Memories of her with Paul bubbled up to the surface. She remembered the time when they held hands when she was lost in that forest, when Paul would smile at her not that cold, bad boy way, but in that warm, tenderly way, and when she almost had her first kiss with him back at that cave, if Ash and Brock hadn't found them yet. She remembered all those hints he used to drop, but now she's not so sure. How _does_ she feel about him?

"I just don't know," she kept murmuring, over and over. Her head was spinning now. She massaged her forehead in an effort to ease the pain, but it was of no use. She felt her vision slipping, and gradually closed her eyes, embracing the comfortable darkness.

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"Oh my god! Dawn, wake up! Look at what the guys are doing! It's hysterical!"

Dawn's eyes shot open to the sound of Paxie's voice. She groaned, "What now, onee-chan?" as she got up from her bed and rubbed her head.

"Come see! It's over here!" Paxie beckoned her eagerly. Dawn just moaned and flopped back on the bed. Paxie rolled her eyes. "Oh, for Pete's sake! You act like my uncle!"

Paxie advanced towards Dawn and dragged her to the open window. "Look, now!"

Dawn rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "What is it…?" Just then, her crystal eyes widened, astounded.

Down below, the guys were having an interesting time washing Paxie's car.

"No, Piplup! We need water over _here_!" Paxie's father said, pointing out a small speck on the window shield.

"Piplup!" Piplup replied with a thumbs up. It then tilted its head back and opened its beak. Water was forming, and it swirled rapidly, until it grew to become a huge whirlpool!

"No! Stop!" her dad waved his hands frantically while standing in front of the car. Ash and Brock did the same. However, it was too late. Piplup moved the enormous whirlpool towards them.

"Aaaaaahhh!" they screamed as they were sucked into the whirlpool. They spun and they spun and they spun all around the car hastily for about thirty times before the water disappeared and they fell on top of Pikachu. THUD! Poor Pikachu was so astonished that he shocked all three of them.

"Pika…CHU!" he shouted as he got into that crouch that looked like he was on the potty and sent a strong electric current through their bodies.

"Aaagggh!" all three yelled. Once the attack had stopped, sparks and smoke surrounded them. Each one had swirly eyes, frizzy hair, and skin that looked like they got barbequed.

Paxie and Dawn couldn't help but burst out laughing and point.

"Hahaha! That was hilarious!" Paxie laughed out loud.

"Yeah! Poor guys!" Dawn giggled while holding her stomach. Tears were coming to both of their eyes.

"Oh, look look look!" Paxie brought to attention. They watched as Elanor strode in on the scene.

"Espeon? (Did I miss something?)" she said, looking at her dad, Brock, and Ash in confusion.

Paxie and Dawn could have died of laughter.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"So how does everybody like their dinner?" Johanna broke the silence.

Mumbled "goods" were heard around the table.

"How about you, Al? Are the mashed potatoes fine?" she asked him.

"Oh, yeah! Wonderful!" Paxie's dad complimented with an "Ok" sign. "I especially like the casserole! Dee-licious!"

"Actually, Brock made that," she corrected him.

"Really?" he said, swinging his head around. "You made this?"

"Y-Yes, sir!" Brock replied nervously.

"Wow! I'm impressed!" he said honestly. "Maybe you're right for my daughter after all!"

"Daaad! Please! Not at the table," Paxie complained again.

"Oh, would you relax, sport?" he said. He messed with her hair, but she immediately pushed his hand away.

"So, I hear you're big on gym battles, Ash," he spoke to him now.

"Oh, yeah! Becoming a Pokemon Champion is my dream!" he said. "Right, Pikachu?"

"Pika, pi!" the electric mouse agreed. He was sitting and eating by Piplup and Elanor on the carpet by the fireplace.

"Well that's great you have a dream," Al said. "You know, when I was your age, I had a dream of joining the force!"

"Dad, not this again!" Paxie whined.

"Hush!" he quieted her. She sulked in her chair. "Now, where was I? Oh, yes! I had a dream of joining the force, so I could be just like my dad! So I got a good education in areas such as business math or accounting, computer applications, and even behavioral sciences. Plus, I got into sports like football to keep up my fitness level. And, by the time I graduated from school, I was on my way of becoming a police officer! I also went so far as becoming Captain!"

"Wow! What an achievement!" Brock said.

"That's so cool!" Ash said.

"Your dad sounds awesome, Paxie," Dawn said to her.

"Uh-huh," Paxie muttered.

"And someday, my little girl will follow in my footsteps!" Al announced, turning to her. "Isn't that right, kiddo?" He reached for her, but this time, she pulled away.

"No! That's IT!" Paxie yelled out, suddenly getting up from her chair and slammed her hands on the table. "I can't take it anymore!"

The sudden outburst startled everyone. They all looked at Paxie in bewilderment and shock.

"Paxie, what are you saying?" her dad spoke cautiously.

"Dad, I can't stand you anymore!" Paxie snapped. "You're always treating me like a child and I'm sick of it!"

"Hey, calm down," Dawn said gently. Paxie just ignored her.

"It's always the same thing! You always embarrass me in front of people! You always say, 'cutie', 'sport', and 'kiddo'! Things like that! Are you trying to kill me with humiliation?"

"Paxie, stop this right now!" her dad got up from his chair and stared at her harshly. "You will sit back down and finish eating your vegetables. Then, I want you to march straight up to your room and think about what you've said. Understand?"

"You see? This is EXACTLY what I'm talking about! You always make decisions for me too, dad! Well I want the freedom for once! Freedom to choose what _I_ want to be! Freedom to choose what _I_ want to do! And freedom to choose what _I_ want to say! And right now, I want you to GET THE HELL OUT OF MY LIFE!"

"Paxie!" Dawn cried. She was stunned. She had never heard her onee-chan breathe one cuss word in her life. On top of that, she had never ever seen this side, this dark side, of her before. She was afraid.

"Paxie, please," Al begged his daughter now, all anger slowly being drained. "Sit down." Dawn was sure that Paxie's dad felt a lot of blows to his heart now and was probably on the brink of crying.

"NO!" Paxie practically screamed now. "I'M NOT EVER LISTENING TO YOU AGAIN! I HATE YOU! I…I…!" She backed away from the table.

"I WISH I GOT KILLED WITH MOM!"

She bolted out the door. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

A horrible silence fell upon everyone.

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Me: Ouch! And that's the end of Chapter 2! Please, feel free to comment and review! Find out what happens next time! See ya! *turns toward Dawn* Ok, where's the key?

Dawn: Um, w-what?

Me: You know, the key? The key that was under your hat?

Dawn: Oh, that. Funny story… *points to empty spot next to her*

Me: What the? *runs toward the door and its locked* How could this be? How did he get a hold of it?

Dawn: Well…*blushes*

Me: CURSE YOU PURPLE-HEADED JERK!


	3. A Night to Remember Part 1

**Let's Kick It Up A Notch!**

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Me: *stares intently at Paul*

Paul: *stares intently at me*

Me: *staring*

Paul: *staring*

Me: *eyes watering*

Paul: *blinks*

Me: HaHA! Victory~! *cheers while giving a peace sign*

Paul: Damn it! Rematch!

Me: Dawn?

Dawn: *puppy dog eyes*

Paul: No! I won't be fooled again! I…I…

Dawn: *puppy dog eyes*

Paul: *groans* MoonlightNinja55 does NOT own Pokemon. Only the characters she makes.

Me: Good boy! *pats Paul's head*

Paul: *death glares with a huge red vein*

Me: *backs away* Ok, while I run for my life, I hope everyone will enjoy Chapter 3! Now if you would excuse me… *flees*

Paul: DON'T EVER TREAT ME LIKE A DOG, DAMMIT! *chases after me with an angry fist*

Dawn: *snacks on cupcakes* Nom nom nom nom…

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

**~Chapter 3: A Night to Remember Part 1~**

It was a cold, cloudy night. Darkness had consumed the land and robbed everything of its sunshine. The only shine left was from the soft ivory light of the moon and the twinkling stars that dotted the pitch-black sky. A gust of wind howled down from the north, ruffling the leaves of the trees and moving the blades of grass in waves.

The grass went swish and shifted under Paxie's feet. She was running blindly now, the tears that had escaped the corners of her eyes glittered under the moonlight. Anger, frustration, sadness, and great regret all mixed and churned in her stomach. She couldn't believe she had said such cruel words to her father. Sure, he could be embarrassing and overprotective, but he was just doing his job as her dad. Dads are supposed to do that, right? Still, she felt like he deserved to hear what she had to say and she had all the things she bottled up inside burst out like lava from a volcano.

Paxie mentally kicked herself. UGH! How could she be so stupid? She must have shattered her dad's heart to a million pieces! She knew she shouldn't have yelled at him like that. She knew she was out of control. She knew she should have just talked it out with him privately instead of announcing it to the whole world. On top of that, she knew she shouldn't have gone so far as to bring up Mom. Yet, she chose to stir up drama and complicate things even more, and now she only wishes to take it all back.

But she can't. She can't face her dad again, not like this. She didn't even know if he would want her back.

He probably hates her too.

She covered her face with her arm. Her own heart grew heavy with despair.

"_I'm sorry, dad!_" she shouted over and over in her mind. "_I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry, dad! I'm sorry…_"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

(Theme song)

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"This is all my fault," Al spoke devastatingly.

He was slumped in his chair at the dining table. His hand was rubbing his forehead to ease the pain that now throbbed and Johanna laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. Brock and Dawn were numbly cleaning up the table and washing the plates while Ash sat across from Al with Pikachu on his shoulder. Piplup stayed close to Dawn and helped her out. Elanor the Espeon just gazed at the opened front door forlornly.

"I thought I knew what was best for Paxie," he continued. "I thought I was finally connecting with her, but she's actually been pulling away. Now that I think about it, why haven't I seen it before? Why haven't I seen those signs? If only had I paid more attention to them, then it wouldn't have come to this…"

He covered his face with his hands and began to shake as he sobbed.

"I have failed Paxie as a father…" he mourned bitterly.

Everyone gave him sympathetic looks.

"Now, now. Don't be so hard on yourself," Johanna advised as she bent down to look at him and rubbed his back. "I'm sure you and Paxie can still work things out. You'll see!"

"I hope so," he said, sounding ironically hopeless.

A pause of silence quickly settled. Probably because everybody's mind was busy thinking over what had happened and what was said, slowly letting everything soak in. Dawn's eyes seemed the most distant and glazed.

"_Onee-chan,_" she thought. "_I know you didn't mean it. You just wanted to let out all the feelings you crammed inside. But not in front of your dad; not in front of all of us…_"

Dawn finally snapped out of her thoughts. She dropped the dish she was drying on the counter with a loud clatter and slapped down the towel.

"I'm going to find Paxie!" she announced in resolve. She headed for the door.

"What? Dawn, wait!" her mom tried to stop her with her hand reaching out. "You can't go out there too!"

"I have to!" Dawn told her as she stopped and looked at her over her shoulder. "Paxie has been my best friend for as long as I could remember. She's always been there for me, and I want to be there for her! If anyone needs a friend right now, it's her!"

"No! But, Dawn!" her mom called out desperately, but Dawn had already clenched her fists and ran out.

"Pip, lup!" Piplup cried as he attempted to follow her, but his short legs couldn't match her pace, and by the time he got outside, she was gone.

"Piplup…" he whimpered as he plopped down on the highest step of the porch steps and stared into the darkness. His eyes were brimming with tears, and he fiercely wiped them away.

"Oh, dear," Johanna said sadly and worriedly. "I wish she didn't run out like that."

"Join the club," Al spoke up miserably.

"Don't worry!" Ash told the two concerned parents. He got up from his chair, his eyes hardened in determination. "We'll find Dawn and Paxie! You can count on it! Pikachu, Brock! Let's go!"

"Pika, pi!" said Pikachu with a tightened fist as he furrowed his brows.

"Right," Brock agreed too.

Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder and they all dashed towards the door.

"Hold it right there, you three!" Al ordered, pulling himself together now. "Let's not be hasty."

"But, Dawn and Paxie are-!" Ash began to oppose, but Al cut him off by holding up his hand in protest. He stood up.

"It's late," he said. "It's too dark now to start a search party. Even if we do go out and look for them, who knows where they could have gone? We wouldn't know where to start. By then, we would all be lost, along with the hopes of finding them."

Ash, Pikachu, and Brock exchanged worried glances as they thought over about this.

"Al is right," Johanna spoke. "The important thing is that we all wait here until their return. If they don't come back tonight, then we'll search for them in the morning. We'll have the strength and better luck of finding them then."

Hearing this, Ash reluctantly gave in and said, "Yeah, okay," and went over to the couch by the fireplace to sit down. Pikachu leaped up the couch and sat beside him while Brock sat in the arm chair across. "But I still feel like we should do something. I can't stand just waiting!"

"We know, son," Al said, coming over to him to lay a hand on his shoulder in comfort. "We all feel that way."

So the waiting game began. And what a terrible waiting it was, for although patience is a virtue, it can also be a silent torture. It feeds off of the fears and worries that one has and only worsens them with the trick of imagination. And once those fears and worries grow at such a length so wildly vast, the mighty wall of hope crumbles before faithful eyes and vanishes in a puff of smoke. A nightmare plagues upon one's mind, and motivates one to take immediate action, for they definitely do not, at any cost, wish for the nightmare to come true. However, suddenly, the person realizes and makes aware of the reality that his or her actions would not make a difference in the occurrence of the nightmare. Thus, he or she sits back down and the whole horrendous cycle starts again.

"_If only I had pursued my lady,_" Elanor thought in remorse with her head bowed low. "_I should have never let her go…_"

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"Damn it," a particular purple-haired guy swore under his breath. "Why the hell did I think that _this_ would be a shortcut?"

Basically, he was admitting to himself that he was lost. After spending most of his morning following a road that seemed to stretch on forever, he had the idea that cutting through the forest would save time. Unfortunately, that did nothing but exhaust his pokemon after multiple encounters with wild pokemon, leaving him practically vulnerable. He growled in anger at himself. Why didn't he just stick to the road like any sensible person would? He would have been at a Pokemon Center already! Now he's ruing his terrible mistake and paying a great price.

"God, damn it," he swore again. "I can't believe I wasted my efforts like this. There's no way a Pokemon Center would take me in now, even if I do manage to reach one. I'm just gonna have to camp out and hang on til morning…"

Suddenly, Paul heard the scream of a girl coming from behind him. He spun around in alarm and saw a huge glow of white light that illuminated the darkness. An ear-piercing blast quickly followed and Paul covered his ears and ducked for cover as chunks of dirt were kicked up and a violent wind ripped leaves off of branches by force. A flock of bird pokemon fled in fright. Just as soon as the wind died down, the earth shook mercilessly.

"What the hell is that?" Paul yelled over the deafening noise.

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Elanor's ears began to twitch as she stirred from her sleep. Her eyes opened halfway.

"_What a weird dream…_" she thought as she groaned. "_I was battling black birds in a very weak state. Just as I was preparing for the worst, a blue knight in dark armor came to save me. How strange…_"

All of a sudden, her eyes snapped wide open and the red orb in the middle of her forehead began to shine brightly. She got up on all fours and a cold bead of sweat ran down her cheek.

"Oh, no!" she feared. "I can feel it! I sense trouble drawing closer to my lady!"

She anxiously sought for the others for help, but it seemed they were already quite fast asleep. Ash was sprawled on the couch with a blanket over him and Pikachu while Brock was reclined in the arm chair with a blanket over him as well. The lights had been turned off already and the two adults were perhaps asleep upstairs. Elanor went over to Pikachu and nudged him.

"Pikachu!" she whispered loudly. "Wake up! I require some assistance for I fear my lady is in grave danger! Please, wake up!"

Alas, the electric mouse just grumpily flicked her paw away and rolled over so his back was against her. She huffed angrily.

"Well, I see you care more about yourself than a friend in need!"

She rushed out the door and stopped when she saw Piplup.

"Dearest blue warrior, shall you not aid me in combat as well?" Elanor said as she shook him. It did nothing and Piplup slept on.

"Fine, then! I guess I'm on my own," the irritated Espeon resolved and hurried on her way, with her red orb shining light on her path.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Grrr! This is not my night!" Paxie groaned with fists clenched.

All around her were trees. Trees, trees, trees. And more trees. Each tree looked no different than the next one to her. They were all tall trees that were so high, they towered over her like skyscrapers and the canopy of leaves above her was so thick, the moonlight was only permitted to seep through the tiny cracks.

"I'm sick of this forest!" Paxie shouted out loud, her voice rising with every word, as she kicked at a tiny rock. "It's too cold, dark, and lonely in here! I just wanna go back to Dawn's house already! But, nooo! I can't do that either! Because I'm afraid of showing up and seeing my dad! What am I gonna tell him? I wouldn't even know where to begin! And…!"

Paxie's endless yelling was interrupted by a rustle in the trees above. She looked up annoyed and a gasp escaped her lips. She widened her eyes in fear as she stood rooted to her spot.

All of a sudden, a flock of angry Starlys and Staravias burst forth from the leafy barrier. They narrowed their eyes at Paxie and hovered over her like a bad storm cloud.

"Hehehe," she laughed nervously. "Whoops! Sorry for the terrible racket I've been making. Didn't mean to wake you guys up, so if you would just let me leave, I'll be on my way…"

Paxie made a run for it, but several Staravias blocked her path. They death glared at her. Now, everywhere she turned, she could see them. She was surrounded.

"C'mon, guys! Can't we talk this over pokemon food?"

Silence.

"Well, so much for that plan," Paxie muttered.

A Starly started to attack by charging at her. Its wing began to glow a magnificent white. It was a Wing Attack. Paxie got her arms in front of her in defense, turned her head away, and shut her eyes tight, bracing herself.

"So this is it," she thought. "This is what I get for talking back at my dad. Man, I really wish I could have at least apologized for what I said…"

The starly was closing the gap quickly between him and Paxie.

"I guess it's true what they say. When you're in a near-death situation or just about to feel the blow, the world gives you just a tiny bit of time to think over all the good things you've done in life or all the regrets you wish to erase. Then, you feel a hopelessness that you either give in to or fight back. I almost tasted defeat."

But the attack never came.

Confused, Paxie opened her eyes just a tiny bit.

Her eyes then widened all the way and she let her guard down. An enormous wave of surprise, relief, and gratitude washed over her.

Elanor came to her rescue! The wonderful Espeon had countered the Starly's attack by using Psychic. The black bird was sent back, but quickly recovered. It flapped its wings furiously with sweat running down its forehead.

"Oh, Elanor! Thank you for saving me!" Paxie appreciated as she happily smiled through tears of joy and rushed over to hug her. The Espeon nuzzled her cheek in return.

"Alright! Let's get our game face on!" she shouted while they both prepared to battle.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Paxie!" Dawn called as she cupped her hands around her mouth. "Paxie! Where are you? Can you hear me? Paxie!"

She strained her ears to listen closely, but she didn't hear her. She sighed deeply and sat on a rock, resting her chin in the palm of her hands. "I can't believe I've been wandering aimlessly through this forest for what seems like hours and I _still_ can't find her! Where could she be?"

Dawn thought over all the things Paxie could be doing right now, only heightening her fears. She imagined her Onee-chan just strolling around when she suddenly comes upon this feisty Onix! The Paxie in her mind runs frantically in circles and trips over something and it turns out to be the foot of a Rhydon! The Rhydon and Onix both chase her! Then, a stampede of bug pokemon joins in, and Dawn knows that Paxie's worst fear of all are bugs!

"Help meee!" Paxie shrieks.

"Don't worry!" Dawn shouted in determination as she thumped the rock she sat on. "I'll rescue you, Onee-chan! Just hang in there!"

Suddenly, Dawn's rock began to move!

"Huh?" Dawn said, puzzled. "Wait a minute…rocks don't move!" She looked down. "And rocks aren't purple either!" At least to her, they weren't.

Dawn tilted her head up and up and up and up, until her whole neck was craned back. She stared in shock.

She was sitting on the foot of a random giant Nidoking! The Nidoking looked down on her and glared.

"Uh-oh…" was all she could say before she got up and backed away. The Nidoking shook the forest with its mighty roar. It then tipped its head back and opened its mouth wide open. A glorious bright light formed in the shape of a sphere.

"I-Is that a…?" Dawn said, and gulped. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her before the Nidoking pointed down on her and blasted her with a Hyper Beam. BOOM!

Dawn made a dive for it, but the ground had already crumbled beneath her and she felt herself falling and falling in a pit of darkness.

"Aaaaaahhh!" she screamed. She reached her arms and legs out for anything that could catch her, but it was so dark. She couldn't see anything or feel anything. She felt helpless and weak. Then, she felt her body crash on ground. She yelped as a surge of pain rang out through her head and throughout her body.

Dawn was done. She gave up. Her efforts were all for nothing.

She was going to die.

"_I'm so sorry, Onee-chan…_" she whispered in her mind. "_I tried, but I failed you. I'm sorry I'm so useless. Why am I so easy to break? I want to go on, but I don't think I have the power to. I can barely move…_"

The ground beneath her began to tremble as the Nidoking let out another mighty roar and stamped the ground ferociously. The earth shook so violently, it began to collapse. Ranging from small stones to big boulders, rocks rained down from the dark sky above Dawn. Wherever she was, the place was tearing apart.

Instinct kicked in. This would be her final struggle to cling to life. Dawn put whatever energy was left in her into pushing herself up. Steadily, she moved her left hand and pressed it firm on the rocky floor. She pushed with all she had and sat upright. She then opened one of her eyes and fought the pain as she gradually dragged herself upward in order to avoid a falling rock.

"C'mon!" she urged her body to cooperate. "MOVE!"

Too slow. The rock had smashed on top of her right foot before she could drag it out of the way. She cried out.

"_No…it can't end like this!_" Dawn thought stubbornly with tears in her eyes. "_I was supposed to be there for Paxie! I was supposed to help her! But how can I help her now when I need rescuing?_"

She fell on her back and laid there lifeless. She had lost the will to go on anymore.

"_Why didn't I bring any pokemon? I should have at least brought Piplup! Man, I'm such an idiot! I was supposed to fulfill my dream of becoming a Top Coordinator. I was supposed to make my mom proud! I was supposed to have more adventures with Ash and Brock! I was supposed to tell them how grateful I was for having them as my friends! And I was supposed to tell Paul that I…_"

She surprised herself and for some reason, smiled. Huh. Who would have thought that the guy she didn't like or couldn't make up her mind about was the last person she would picture in her mind? Ironic.

"Hey…Hey! Oi! Can you here me? You stupid girl, wake up…"

Her mind must have really lost it now. She was even hearing his voice. It was quite faint and sounded as if he was calling her from a distance.

"Damn it, say something, Troublesome…!"

Ah, her nickname. She remembered it now. It definitely must be her imagination…

"DAWN!"

This time, his voice got through to her and sounded very close, as if he was standing next to her. Her eyes fluttered open. Her vision was hazy and blurred at first, but it quickly adjusted. Her eyes then grew wide in astonishment and she woke up to see the only guy she knew with purple hair.

"P-Paul! What are you doing here?" she stuttered. He was the last person she suspected to save her. She sat up, but her strength was overcome by pain again, and she was gonna fall back. Paul swiftly caught her.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm rescuing you, idiot," he insulted her as he gently laid her down and heaved the rock off her foot. "Whatever you did, it sure pissed off that Nidoking."

"All I did is thumped his foot…" Dawn answered innocently. "I didn't know it was his foot. I thought it was a rock…"

Paul glared at her. "Great. I'm risking my life for you all because you thumped his foot?" He growled and picked her up carefully, bridal style. "Whatever. I'm getting you out of here."

"W-What?" Dawn exclaimed as she blushed a scarlet red. "D-Do you really have to do it this way…?"

"Yes, now shut up!" he angrily shouted before a small blush could creep onto his cheeks.

He hoisted them up on each large boulder that kept falling, using them like stairs. One boulder after another, they came closer and closer to the surface. On the last boulder, Paul concentrated all his efforts on making one last high jump. He gritted his teeth and jumped as far as he could go.

Safe! He landed on flat ground. He sighed heavily in relief, sweat evident on his face. Paul then placed Dawn down on the floor. They looked back to watch the last of the huge rocks close the crater that had been created by that Hyper Beam attack. Dawn coughed as clouds of dirt rose in the air and waved it away until it was cleared. Finally, it was her turn to sigh.

"Thank you," she told Paul gratefully as she gazed up at him. She smiled wholeheartedly. "If it wasn't for you, I…I probably would have died in there."

Paul stared at her in disbelief, then turned away to hide a blush. He crossed his arms and hmphed. "Yeah, well…you should use your head next time instead of aggravating wild pokemon, especially when you don't have pokemon of your own. Got it?"

Dawn's jaw dropped and a red vein popped on her head. "Excuse me? I told you already, I didn't know it was his stupid foot! It wasn't on purpose! Honest!"

"Whatever, Troublesome," he provoked her as he turned around to give her one of his signature smirks. He knew it would drive her crazy.

"UGH! My name is Dawn, you jerk! D-A-W-N! DAWN!"

"Nah, I prefer Troublesome. You really live up to it more than your real name. Isn't that right?"

Flames were practically burning in Dawn's eyes as she clenched her fists so tight, they quivered. Before she could yell at him, something stopped her. A memory flashed in her mind, back to when she first heard his voice in the crater. Her anger shrank. "Wait a second…You did use my real name earlier!"

"What are you talking about now, crazy girl?"

"I heard you!" she said, pointing at him accusingly. "Back in the crater, you said my name, didn't you?"

"What? I did not…" Paul lied in defense, as a light blush came on.

"Yes you did, you liar!"

"Did not."

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did-!"

Dawn was cut off by a mighty roar. They both looked up in alert and saw the same Nidoking once again. Paul groaned and took a battle stance.

"Great. We drew attention to ourselves. Stay back!" he ordered her over his shoulder. "I'll deal with him."

Dawn nodded in understanding.

He took out one of his Poke balls and pressed the middle button. It enlarged and he threw it. "Elekid! Stand by!"

In a flash of red light, Elekid appeared. It looked exhausted, and scratches and bruises were already evident. Dawn gasped.

"_Why is his pokemon already worn out?_" Dawn questioned in her mind. "_In fact, why is Paul even here, in this forest? How did he get here? Was he lost like me? How did he find me in that crater? And an even weirder question: Why did Paul even rescue me at all?" _She gazed at him with uncertainty. _"Does he care about me? Does he want to protect me, or is it merely by instinct to save others? I have to know…_"

Dawn watched as Paul rudely ordered his Elekid to not fail him.

"I have to know these answers." She brought her gaze up at the moon. "Paxie, where are you?"

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Dawn: And that's the end of Part 1! Please, leave any comments or reviews and read the next part soon! Bye byez! X3

Me: *tied in rope and mouth duct taped shut* Hrmffmhm!

Dawn: Oh! And Akiko-chan hopes that the "xxx" will help divide the scenes up nicely! Sorry if there was any confusion with the first two chapters. She originally used "~" but it wouldn't show!

Me: *thinks angrily* (NO! I said to untie me!)

Dawn: *oblivious* Ok, Akiko says good-bye as well! Good-bye!

Me: *furious* (DARN IT! Stupid rope! This is all Paul's fault!) *glares at him*

Paul: *smirks* Ah, the old, "silence is golden, but duct tape is silver," saying. *leans on Dawn with arms crossed behind head*

Dawn: *blushes while turned away*

Me: (GRRRR!)


	4. A Night to Remember Part 2

**Let's Kick It Up A Notch!**

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Paul: *sweatdrops* This isn't exactly what I had in mind…

Paul has his left foot on yellow, and his right hand on red while Dawn has her right hand on blue, and her right foot on green on the Twister mat. All other hands or feet were up in the air at the moment. Both had sweat on their foreheads and cheeks.

Me: Well, you said you wanted a rematch, right? I'm just putting Dawn in my place because I know you won't attack her. So SUCK IT UP LIKE A MAN!

Paul: *glares and groans*

Me: *ignores him, spins arrow on color wheel thing, and calls out* Ok! Left hands on green!

Paul & Dawn: *tries to reach out for a green spot*

Dawn: *right hand slips* W-Woah! *falls on top of Paul*

Paul: *blushes deep red* G-GET OFF OF ME!

Dawn: *does the same* S-Sorry, Paul! I-I'm so sorry! *gets off of him*

Me: Awkward~! *looks at camera* Oh! We're already filming!

Paul & Dawn: WHAT?

Me: It's time for the disclaimer thing! Alright, Dawn: Take it away!

Dawn: *silent and shy*

Me: Um, Dawn? Hello~?

Dawn: *embarrassed with cheeks stained red*

Paul: Dammit, MoonlightNinja55 doesn't own pokemon, ok? She only made characters she created, blah blah blah…

Me: *gasps* Paul! I'm surprised! YOU _volunteered_ to do it this time? *smirks*

Paul: *blushes* Just shut the hell up and get the stupid story over with!

Me: Yikes! Alright, sourpuss! Geez! Anyways, hope y'all will enjoy Part 2! *comes over to Dawn and pats her back* It's okay! Just relax, and breathe in and out…

Paul: *grumbles and sighs*

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**~Chapter 4: A Night to Remember Part 2~**

"Oh, no! Elanor!" Paxie cried as she watched her Espeon collide onto the forest floor. "Are you ok?"

"Es…pe…on," Elanor panted and struggled to get back on all fours. Sweat rolled down her cheek.

"_Darn it,_" Paxie thought as beads of sweat were shown on her forehead. "_Elanor has run out of moves! She used up all her Future Sight and Psychic attacks. The only moves she has left are Last Resort and Morning Sun. But Last Resort can only be used when all moves are used, and Morning Sun, well…forget that! Hello, it's nighttime!" She bit her bottom lip. "What are we going to do?_"

Little did they know, a pair of yellow eyes had been watching them from a distance. It settled its sights on Elanor and watched her cautiously.

"Espe…Espeon! (I'm…I'm not giving up!)" Elanor shouted at the Starlys and Staravias. "(I will protect my lady at any cost, even if it means my life! I've been through enough tough times with her to know that there's more to a relationship between pokemon and trainer! That's why I will fight for her 'til the bitter end!)"

She rose and bravely held her ground in front of Paxie, glaring seriously at the mass of black birds, despite all the beatings she had endured. The pair of yellow eyes widened in admiration. Paxie gazed at her Espeon incredulously. "Elanor…"

"Staravia! (Alright! Fine!)" yelled out one of the Staravias. "(If it's a bitter end you want…)" He charged straight for her. "(Then it's a bitter end you'll get!)"

"Elanor! No, don't!" Paxie shrieked, but Elanor just ignored her and kept her eyes locked on the Staravia. She didn't care what was about to come. She just cared that Paxie was safe.

"Espeon! (Do your worst!)" she spat at him.

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(Theme song)

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Provoked, the Staravia increased its speed and was about to land an Aerial Ace. All of a sudden though, a Luxio sprang out of nowhere and bit it by the wing! Elanor's mouth was ajar and Paxie gasped in surprise as they watched Staravia cry out in pain and flinch. While it was hesitating, Luxio seized the opportunity to charge up all the electricity he had. The rest of the Starlys and Staravias were affronted that one of their best was attacked and all of them hurtled towards the Luxio. The Luxio cockily grinned at them and released an all-out maximum Spark! It shined a golden light so bright, everyone had to look away and shut their eyes. BAM!

It was all over in a flash. Every Starly and Staravia plummeted down in a spiral and landed on the ground with a THUD! Each looked like they were cooked to a crisp and had swirly eyes. The Luxio smirked at Elanor, and for a while, neither she nor Paxie could say anything.

"_I-Impossible!_" Elanor thought. "_It was just like in my dream! I was saved from black birds by a blue knight in shining dark armor! I never expected it to come true though…_"

"Th-Thank you, Luxio!" Paxie finally snapped out of her speechlessness and came over to them. "Elanor would have never made it without you, so thanks."

"Luxio. (Hey, no problem,)" he said casually, waving it off.

They both turned their heads and looked at the Espeon expectantly for appreciation as well, but she was still gawking at Luxio.

He definitely gave off that over-confident impression. He stood firm on all fours, with his head held high. His eyes were electric yellow and his nose was reddish-pink. His black hair seemed to sprout from his nose to his forehead and covered around his face like a black hood. His ears stuck out of his "hood", the outer color sky blue and the inner color yellow. Half his body, from the waist up to his neck, was blue while the other half was black. His blue front paws seemed to look like they each had two golden bands. As for his back legs, they were black and almost covered his paws and his tail was dark too with a four-pointed yellow shape on the tip that was similar to a shuriken star.

Paxie was about to wave a hand in front of Elanor when the Luxio stopped her by putting his front paw out in oppose. He then strolled up to the Espeon and closed her mouth with his paw.

"(Are you done?)" he teased with a smirk. Elanor immediately blushed and stood back at bit, realizing what she did.

"(I-I apologize!)" she said, trying to regain some poise. "(Ahem, I mean I did not mean to stare so long as to make you quite uncomfortable. I did not find it enjoyable either, i-it's just that…well, I find you to be, um…)"

"(Eh, no problem…)" Luxio shrugged it off. "(Apology accepted. I know it can be hard to take your eyes off of me, right?)"

"(Yeah, as you say so…wait, what? NO!)" Elanor retorted as her face turned red. Luxio snickered. "(That is not what I mean at all! You arrogant, little…!)"

Paxie wasn't sure what was going on, but she saw how Elanor was going to lung at Luxio, so she grabbed her quickly.

"Elanor! What the heck are you doing?" Paxie scolded. "He just rescued you! Now tell him 'thank you'!"

She set her Espeon back down and Elanor growled. Luxio smiled smugly as he heard her mutter to him, "(I'm in your debt…)"

"(Now that's more like it, darling)," he taunted with a wink. Elanor growled again.

"_He's no knight in shining armor!_" Elanor thought angrily. "_He's a perverted insolence! He's nothing but ego and no real courage! Ugh! Why did I ever had that dream?_"

Suddenly, an enormous BOOM! was heard, coming from their left.

"What's all the commotion?" Paxie wondered as they all looked.

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After being hit with a Horn Attack, Elekid skidded back on the ground and stopped in front of Paul's feet. Its eyes were all swirly and its tongue lolled out of its mouth. Paul gritted his teeth and angrily commanded, "Return!"

In a beam of red light, the Elekid returned to its Poke ball.

"I'll deal with you later," Paul told it harshly and put it away.

The irritated Nidoking roared fiercely.

"What now?" Dawn questioned Paul with a rise of panic and fear in her voice.

"_How the hell do I know?_" Paul thought to himself in frustration. "_I don't even know why I'm putting myself in this kind of situation! I should have just left that troublesome girl in the crater and let her friends dig her out later…_"

But then a sickening feeling twisted his stomach, making him rue what he thought. He knew well enough that he wouldn't be able to live with himself, knowing that he had the chance to save her and he didn't take it. Besides, the choice wasn't even out of heroic deed. It was motivated by something else. But what? The question made him confused and so upset. And that wasn't the only thing. These strange emotions he kept getting when he felt the urge to protect the girl…he didn't understand it all either. What does it all _mean_?

He grunted and shook the irritating thoughts away. "_Whatever. It doesn't matter now. All that matters is that I got myself into this mess. And I guess I'll get out of it, one way or another._"

As Paul was contemplating, the Nidoking had been impatiently waiting for any other opponents that he might throw at him. Seeing that there were no others, the Nidoking switched its sights from Paul to Dawn and death glared. Dawn stared, wide-eyed in fear. Her body froze.

"_I don't like the way he's looking at me!_" Dawn thought, only worsening her anxiety. A bead of sweat ran down the side of her face.

The Nidoking snorted, angry that its revenge had been delayed for so long, and dug its feet into the ground, preparing to charge with its head bowed. The point of its horn glinted in the moonlight, calling attention to its impeccable sharpness. Dawn gulped as a shiver ran down her spine.

Paul was instantly snapped from his thoughts as he heard a battle cry coming from the Nidoking. He realized what was happening and what was going to happen. The Nidoking was darting straight for Dawn! She wrapped herself in her arms and shut her eyes tight, not able to defend herself nor able to flee in time. She was trembling uncontrollably. Paul scowled and clenched his fists.

"_Damn that Nidoking! It just doesn't know when to give up!_" He then ran towards Dawn as well. He didn't understand what he was doing, but he knew he had to do something. The Nidoking was closing the gap pretty fast. They were only five feet apart now. Paul practically sprinted.

Four feet apart. Paul drew nearer.

Three feet apart. He got in front of Dawn.

Two feet apart. Dawn felt someone shadowing her. Her buried face peeked out to see who it was.

One foot apart. Dawn gasped, "NO!" but Paul didn't budge.

It happened in a blink of an eye, but it felt like eternity to them. Time seemed to stop still in a blank whiteness. It was as if somebody had pressed the pause button to a movie. Dawn's face was frozen with an aghast expression and hands brought to her lips. A scream was stuck in her throat as she watched Paul take the blow that was meant for her. A sound like a blade piercing through flesh was heard when the Nidoking had dealt a Horn Attack to him. The horn had stabbed him square in the chest, and now blood blossomed from the wound. It trickled down from the horn onto the grassy floor. Paul grimaced and took care to only breathe in short little breaths. He couldn't believe this was happening to him. And she couldn't believe she was witnessing it.

By the time their statue-like positions finally regained movement and feeling, that scream that Dawn had held back shriveled to a whisper. She saw the Nidoking release his horn, its tip now shining a scarlet red. Paul gripped the spot where his injury was, winced, stumbled backward, and fell.

Dawn found her voice. "No…Paul!" She crawled toward him briskly. "Paul, please! Paul!" She placed his head carefully on her lap. His eyes were closed. She laid her hand where his heart should be, searching apprehensively for a pulse. She couldn't feel one. When she lifted her hand, she gasped and stared at it in horror.

Blood was stained on her palm.

Her hand quivered, and so did her entire body. "No…he can't be! Oh god…oh god, oh god! Oh my god!" She bowed her head over him. "Oh god, no! Please, Paul! Please, wake up!" She squeezed her eyes shut and didn't realize she had been bawling her eyes out until she felt a wetness drip down her chin and onto his cheek. She looked with a blurry vision and yelped in surprise. If she would stop shaking for a moment, she could see the delicate rise and fall of his chest. He _was_ breathing! But barely. Still, it was enough to make Dawn smile through her tears in relief.

For Paul, it was a different experience. When he had fallen backwards and landed on his back, a sharp pain struck him in the head. He felt an ache that grew intensely and felt his blood pouring out of him. It was all so unbearable. All for the sake of the girl he hardly knew.

"_I still don't understand_," he told himself deep within his subconscious. "_Why did my body move like that? Why did I act so impulsively? I have never put my life on the line like that, not to anyone. But for some reason, I would risk it for this…this troublesome girl? A girl I only know because she's a companion to that loser, Ash? Why? God, I'm so goddamned pissed! What am I missing?_"

Of course, it wasn't what Paul was missing, for he already possessed it. It was what he wasn't _seeing_ that kept him from the secret to his question that he wouldn't freely admit to. At least not yet.

Paul could hear her. He groaned in disdain. What _else_ did she want from him? What _else_ did he have to sacrifice? He opened his eyes and almost gasped.

She was…crying? Was she actually…crying?

"_No, Paul, her eyes are just pissing,_" Paul sarcastically thought. "_Of course she's crying you idiot!_"

Involuntarily, he brought his finger up to her face to wipe a tear away. Dawn's heart skipped a beat.

"Look, there's no use in crying," he mumbled to her. "What's done is done."

She held his hand. "I'm sorry, Paul. This is all my fault…"

"Don't say that!" he angrily said, almost growing to a shout. He cringed at the pain and softened. "You still don't get it…do you?"

She stopped her sobbing and listened carefully, giving him her full attention.

"W-What is it?"

"You may be Troublesome…" he said with heavy breathing. Then, caught in the moment, ended, "But you're worth the rescue."

Those words made her heart rate beat harder than drums. A blush had deepened in her cheeks and she was at a loss to what she could say next, so she only whispered, "Paul…I…"

The forgotten Nidoking roared mightily again in absolute fury. Reality had reeled the two back in and they faced the merciless foe. The Nidoking was just really agitated now. There had been too much interference. He just wanted to make quick work of Dawn and go! So he got ready for his final assault while Paul and Dawn squeezed hands, bracing themselves for the worst together.

At that point in time, a miracle had occurred. A roar had hollered, so thunderous and deafening, that it outmatched the Nidoking's own roar and shook the land more viciously than it ever could. The Nidoking covered its ears and trembled at the sound. So did Dawn and Paul. More flocks of bird pokemon escaped in fright and soared into the dark starry sky.

The Nidoking gave up. Exhausted and still annoyed, it fled as well and stomped away through the dense mass of trees, never to have been seen again. The two trainers, both hurt and injured, were flabbergasted. Dawn was the first to search for the source of that powerful roar and stared in disbelief.

There stood a proud Luxio to their right, with an Espeon and another girl standing behind him. The girl and Dawn locked eyes on each other and both were stunned.

"D-Dawn?" Paxie stuttered, not believing her eyes.

"Paxie?" Dawn responded back. Paxie hurried over to her and Dawn saw the change of her expression as it switched from delight, to confusion, to worry, and then to shock.

"Oh my god! Are you okay?" Paxie spoke in concern. Paul sneered.

"Yeah, besides all the cuts, bruises, and wounds, we're okay."

Paxie glared at him. "And just _who_ are _you_-?" She gasped when she realized that this guy's chest was bleeding like mad. She quickly dug out a couple of tissues from her front pocket and asked, "Um, imouto, could you explain why this guy is going emo?" as she gave them to him.

"Onee-chan!" Dawn flushed. "That's no way to speak to Paul! He saved my life _twice_!"

"What? He saved your-?" But realization hit her again and she smirked playfully. "Ohhh! So _this_ is _Paul_ you say?" She winked. "No wonder he's on your lap."

Astonished, Dawn blushed furiously while Paul shot straight up, sitting upright with a light shade of pink on his cheeks. Leave it to Paxie to make a predicament go from life-threatening, to awkward.

As Dawn and Paxie caught up, Elanor was talking to Luxio.

"Why didn't you do that the first time you saw those mass of black birds?" she asked since she couldn't resist to ignore it.

"Cuz maybe I wanted to show off my skills to a particular darling," he answered with a wink. "Besides, I was having fun!"

Elanor growled and thought, "Biggest. Ego. I. Ever. Met."

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"So that's the whole story," Paxie finished breathlessly to Paul.

They were all sitting around a campfire while Elanor and Luxio were sleeping behind them. Paul, Dawn, and now Paxie had just finished each side of their story.

"Look, I'm really sorry for this whole mess," Paxie apologized to him. "I mean it. If it weren't for my teenage mood-swings, we wouldn't be here right now. I'd also like to thank you for rescuing my imouto times two! If it weren't for you, I really wouldn't have forgiven myself for all that I've caused." She held out her hand. "So…are we cool?"

He hesitated and looked from Paxie's hand to her eyes. He stared long enough to see that she was truly sincere. With a sigh, he reluctantly shook her hand. "Sure."

A smile was upon both of Dawn's and Paxie's faces. The tension had lifted. They can relax.

"Well, I'm glad that's cleared!" Paxie said as she sprawled on the ground, contently sighing herself. "Now all I've got left to do is clear things with my dad…"

"You can do it, Paxie!" Dawn pep talked. "I'll be cheering for you! And so will Ash and Brock."

"Yeah, I no…" she said. "I just wish…I just wish I didn't yell at him that way in the first place. I really feel bad…"

Just then, Paul, with his arms and legs crossed, asked, "Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?"

The two girls exchanged glances, surprised. "Sure, shoot."

"How about your mom?"

Dawn froze. So did Paxie.

"I mean, aren't you supposed to be working these kind of problems out with her?"

"Paul!" Dawn snapped. She glared at him.

He glared back. "What? She said I could ask."

"No, no, it's ok," Paxie told Dawn. Then, without looking at him, she said, "What do you see up in that sky?"

"Uh…" he said, glancing up. "Stars? The moon?"

Paxie smiled. "Well, when you see the stars and the moon, I see my mom."

No one replied. She had both of their attention.

"You see," Paxie said. "My mom was always gentle and kind-hearted to me. Her gentleness are like the stars at night, a quiet beauty while her heart is like the moon, shedding light and guidance to even the darkest places. She constantly did that for me, like whenever I had a nightmare. I would crawl between her and dad and she would tell me that everything's okay, that the world is at peace… She would even sing me a lullaby…"

Paxie hummed the song to herself as she gazed out at the stars and moon. It was a sweet, but sad melody, yet Paul and Dawn didn't seem to be bothered by it. They actually listened to it. Dawn swayed her head a little to the melody, and hummed a few of the parts with Paxie. Paul just closed his eyes, but still listened.

When the humming stopped, Dawn and Paul looked at Paxie.

"Paxie?" Dawn said, and saw that her friend was already fast asleep. She smiled. "Good night, Onee-chan…"

She turned to Paul. "Well, I guess we better get some rest too."

Paul nodded. "Yeah…I guess." Dawn laid down carefully and sighed.

"Hey, about your friend…" Dawn just gave him an "Mm-hm?"

"She's…quite the interesting one."

Hearing this, she grinned warmly again. "Yeah, I know…"

"Well…good-night…Dawn…"

She smiled wider. "Good-night…Paul…"

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Me: Awww! And that's the end to Part 2! I hope you all liked it and feel free to leave comments and reviews! Will update again soon, but for now: Ciao~!


	5. Apologies and A Secret

**Let's Kick It Up A Notch!**

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Me: Alrighty! 5th chappie, coming up! Sorry it took a while! :P *cups mouth and sings* Oh, Dawn~! It's your turn to do the disclaimer thing since you didn't do it last time… Huh? Dawn? *looks around and finds her curled up next to Paul. Both of them were sleeping on the couch* Aww! Kawaii! *then in a whisper* Okay, so I'll just do it. I do not own pokemon under any circumstances! However, I do own characters that I make! *takes out camera* This'll be great for blackmail-I mean, memories! *clicks and the flash comes on* Oopsies!

Paul: *grunts and blinks his eyes open* What the hell was that…?

Me: *panics* Uhh…just Ash's Pikachu trying to attack! But you stop him with your Electrabuzz and use Protect! You're winning the battle…sweet victory is in your grasp…

Paul: Oh… *goes back to sleep*

Me: *snickers* Haha, you're so gullible-! *Paul suddenly snatches camera from my hands* What the…! Hey! Give that back!

Dawn: *mumbles and shifts*

Paul: *mocks* Quiet, or else you might wake her. *smirks*

Me: *scowls and whispers loudly* I'll get you for this later!

Paul: Hmph. *places camera in pocket and goes to sleep for real*

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**~Chapter 5: Apologies and A Secret~**

In the morning, Dawn, Paul, and Paxie all got ready to start their search for the exit to the complex forest that had caused them so much trouble and rescuing the night before. The fire that had once blazed and flickered light was now put out and a bit of smoke sizzled from the burnt sticks. They left it behind and followed Luxio, who led the way out since he knew the forest better than all of them.

"Thanks, Luxio," Paxie said to him again. "You've been a great help to us."

"(Eh, no problem)," he said nonchalantly as he shrugged. "(It's what I do.)"

Beside Paxie, Elanor rolled her eyes. "(As you say…)"

Dawn was still a little drowsy, plus her sprained ankle still needs time to heal, so Paxie took the liberty to carry her on her back. Dawn's head rested on Paxie's left shoulder and her arms dangled around her neck. Paul was walking next to them, hands in pockets and wound covered by tissues and Dawn's scarf underneath his shirt, glancing at the bluette once or twice. It finally came to a point when Paxie felt the urge to ask him, "Ok, what's up? She's not bothering you, is she?"

Paul looked at her. "Hn? No…" He turned his head away. _"It's just that the way she's sleeping like that… It's kind of…"_

"Cute?" Startled, Paul stared at her. "What?"

"I bet you're thinking, 'It's kind of cute to see her sleeping like that,'" Paxie said, smiling smugly, as she talked normally for the first-half of the sentence, but switched to a deeper manly voice when she quoted him. Paul glared at her.

"One, that is NOT how I talk," he argued. "And, two, I wasn't thinking that at all."

"Oh, really? What _were_ you thinking about?"

"The fact that I didn't get the chance to catch that Nidoking, that's what," he lied. "After that Hyper Beam attack, he shouldn't have been able to attack again, but he did anyways. That Nidoking was powerful. I would have put him to good use."

"Good use?" Paxie repeated with a raised brow. "You make pokemon sound like they're tools."

"Yeah, because that's what they are, idiot," Paul snapped. Paxie frowned.

"But aren't pokemon supposed to be your-?"

"Friends?" he finished and scoffed. "Get real. The only way I'm going to be the best of the best is by training pokemon who have the potential to be strong. Things like friendship are only weaknesses that will distract me from achieving my goal. Understand?"

Paxie made a face. "Well, aren't you charming?"

Paul popped a red vein and glared hard. "Hey! I'll train my pokemon the way I want, alright?"

"Whatever," she muttered with a sigh. "You're sad, you know that? How can you live your life like a wolf loner?"

"Look, I don't tell _you_ how to run your life, so back off."

He quickened his pace so that he was ahead of even Luxio. Paxie rolled her eyes. So _this_ is the guy that rescued Dawn twice and who she might love? What the heck is she thinking, going for a guy like him?

Paxie side-glanced Dawn and couldn't help, but smile. It's true. Dawn's innocence is doubled when she's fast asleep. Paxie sighed and looked again at Paul.

"Well, whatever make's you happy Dawn, I'm here for you. I'll do whatever it takes."

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(Theme song)

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Back at Dawn's house, Ash was sitting down at the table, practically inhaling all his food and gulping down milk. So was Paxie's dad. Brock, Pikachu, Piplup, and even Johanna were gaping at the two guys incredulously, feeling as if they were watching some eating contest between two final contestants.

"S-Slow down!" Brock stuttered, waving his hands around. "You shouldn't eat so fast! You should-!"

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT I CAN AND CAN'T DO, SON!" Al boomed and slammed his cup of milk on the table. "This is no time to be just sitting here willy-nilly! MY DAUGHTER'S OUT THERE! And today's the day we start our search, so the sooner we begin, the better! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"

Brock trembled before his intense outrage. "Sir, yes, sir!" He saluted.

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"SIR, YES, SIR!"

Johanna sweat dropped with a hand out. "Um…Al…is it really necessary to be so hard on Brock? He's just as worried as you are…"

Al turned to her, and tears came to his eyes. He covered them with his arm and sobbed, "I know, but I can't help it! All I can think about is Paxie being in trouble somewhere, and I'm not there to save her! It's all so unbearable! I didn't have any sleep either last night!"

Brock, Ash, Pikachu, and Piplup exchanged guilty glances.

"I know what you mean," Johanna agreed with a somber sigh. "I could only think about Dawn as well…"

"Hey, c'mon!" Ash cut in, with a cheerful grin. He gave a thumbs up. "We'll find them! I can feel it!"

"Pika, pi!" Pikachu agreed with a fist clenched. Paxie's dad just nodded at them.

"Yeah, you're right…"

There was a pause before realization slapped him.

"WELL WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? FINISH EATING! NOW!" Ash snapped into action and devoured his food while Al kept yelling stuff like, "Move it!" or "C'mon, soldier! Faster!" Everyone else sweat dropped.

"Pip, lup… (Wow…)" Piplup sighed.

_"He's acting like me when I was pregnant with Dawn,"_ Johanna thought with a nervous smile.

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After breakfast, the group hastily got ready to go. Ash and Al were the first ones to burst through the front door.

"C'mon, everyone!" Al waved the others over. "We're burning daylight!" They reluctantly walked towards him and formed a huddle. "Ok! We don't know where either Paxie or Dawn ran off to, but since it's daytime, we have better chances of splitting up! So here's how it's going to work: Ash and Pikachu, take the left side! Piplup and Brock, take the right side! Then, Johanna and I will go forward!" He drew them out on a dark green mobile chalkboard with a yellow piece of chalk. Everybody else sweat dropped.

_"Where did that come from?"_ Brock thought.

_"And why do his drawings look like they belong to a kindergartener?"_ Ash thought.

Pikachu and Piplup groaned.

"…so, that's the entire plan! Any questions?"

Silence.

"Alright! It may take us a couple hours or maybe several hours. Heck, it could probably take days!" He stood proudly on a crater box and a flag with a pokeball symbol flapped patriotically behind him. "But, I pledge on my soul, that I will bring back my daughter – oh, and Dawn too - into safety's hands! No matter the price, even if it costs me my life…" He clenched his fists and shouted to the heavens where the angels look down and wonder what other problems is mankind having this early in the morning, "I WILL NOT GIVE UP!"

"For the love of God, dad. Please. STOP."

All heads turned and gasped in surprise and relief when they saw Paxie giving a sleepy-headed Dawn a piggy back ride.

"Paxie!"

"Dawn!"

They rushed over and crowded the poor girls.

"Dawn, honey! I'm so glad your back!" her mom cried as she clapped her hands together happily.

"Welcome back, you two!" Ash greeted as he grinned goofily. Pikachu and Piplup both cheered and welcomed Elanor as well, who was standing outside the stuffy circle. She only glanced at them and huffed with her nose stuck in the air. They stared at her in confusion.

"You worried us a great deal," Brock explained to them. "What happened?"

"Uh, yeah, well, er, about that…" Paxie stammered as she scratched the back of her head and smiled sheepishly. Dawn had at last stirred from her sleep and opened her eyes halfway.

"Mm…" she moaned and murmured. "What's going on? Where's Paul…?"

"What?" Ash exclaimed. "Did Dawn just say, 'Paul'?"

"H-Huh?" Paxie budged in anxiously. "No way! Who are you talking about? That's not what she said! She said, um…HALLS!" She pointed out her finger as a lightbulb flashed in her head. "Yeah, Halls! She needs Halls! Had some bad coughing, see?" Paxie sets Dawn down gently and quickly supported her by wrapping Dawn's right arm around her neck and patted her back. "Cough, cough! See? Terribly sick, I tell ya!"

"Riiiight…" Brock said suspiciously, with a hand under his chin and an eyebrow raised. Paxie tried hard not to make eye contact with him.

_"Darn it! He's on to me!"_ she thought furiously at herself.

"How did Dawn get so injured?" Johanna questioned in concern as Paxie handed her over. "Look at all those bruises and scratches! Did she get a sprained ankle too?"

"Oh, that?" Paxie answered nervously. She waved it off and laughed. "That's nothing! She just tripped on a tree root, that's all! Yep! She was just clumsy! I told her to watch her step!"

"How did you two find each other? And what happened to Dawn's scarf?" Ash asked. A bead of cold sweat ran down the side of Paxie's cheek as her throat went dry. She gulped and thought feverishly about what to say next. Before she could even try out an excuse, her father, in a way, came to the rescue. He picked her up and wrapped her in a bear hug.

"What does that matter now? All that matters now is that my little girl is home!" He squeezed tight and Paxie was choking.

"Ok…dad, please…you can let go now…" she rasped. He placed her back down and wiped a tear from his eye. "I'm sorry, kiddo…I mean, Paxie. I shouldn't be doing this to you. You're right. I should give you some space and give you the privilege to make your own choices in life. I just wanted what's best for you, but I got carried away and became too protective of you. I'm so sorry. You know I love you, right?"

She smiled wholeheartedly and cried tears of joy. "Of course I do. And I'm sorry I was so hard on you. I promise that if I ever feel like there's something I need to tell you, I'll talk to you privately and not just blow up in your face." She threw her arms around him. "I love you too…"

Everyone else gazed at them with smiles of their own.

"Well, let's head back to the house," Johanna suggested. "I bet you two are hungry and tired after what you've been through."

Dawn and Paxie didn't hesitate to agree and everybody went back inside.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

From afar, Paul leaned against a tree with his arms crossed as he watched them go.

_"She didn't do too bad,"_ he thought as he remembered their little talk.

~Flashback~

_"WHAT? Why?" Paxie exclaimed. Paul brought a single finger to his lips and shushed her._

_"Quiet! You're going to wake her up!" he said._

_They both looked at Dawn and sighed in relief when she didn't stir._

_"Why?" Paxie hissed. "Why the heck do you want me to lie about what really happened last night?"_

_"Because…" Paul said, turning away. She waited a few moments before insisting, "Because what? Because you don't want people thinking there's something going on between you and Dawn?"_

_"No!" he shouted back eagerly while his mind shouted, "Yes!"_

_"Then why!" Paxie pursued, stopping in her tracks. This made Paul, Elanor, and Luxio stop too. "What's the other reason? Because you don't want anyone thinking you're a hero? Because you don't want anyone to find out that you have some sort of soft spot? Which one is it?"_

_"NONE!" he yelled out loud. They paused to watch Dawn move a little before falling back to sleep. He lowered his voice to a harsh whisper. "None. I just…I just don't want anything ruining my reputation."_

_"HA! So this is about your pride!" Paxie pointed out. Paul grimaced. He hated it when other people were right. Especially girls._

_"Just do it, ok?" he told her. She frowned, but knew that she'll never get a straight answer from him. "Fine, whatever."_

_"And that goes for your Espeon too," he said, narrowing eyes at her. Elanor glared at him._

_"Okay," Paxie mumbled stubbornly. She bent down to give Elanor a quick rub on the head. "Please don't tell the others, alright?"_

_Elanor looked into her master's eyes, puzzled, but nodded in understanding. Paxie smiled 'thank you,' and they all resumed their journey._

~End of Flashback~

He cringed at that pain that shot through him from his wound and gritted his teeth. "Guess I better head to the nearest Pokemon Center now."

He slowly made his way out of Twinleaf Town while saying, "And this time, I'll stick to the road."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

There was a knock at Dawn's bedroom door.

"Come in!" Johanna called. The door opened and Paxie stood at the doorframe. She saw Johanna sitting on the side of Dawn's bed while Dawn laid in bed with the covers under her. An ice pack was placed on her right foot, which was propped on top of two white pillows. Bandages covered most of the cuts and bruises that had appeared on her delicate skin. Paxie smiled at her sympathetically before swapping her gaze to Johanna.

"I've just come to tell you that the kettle you had put on the stove had set off, Ms. Johanna," she told her politely.

"Ah! I see," she replied, getting up. "I'll be right back. Could you look after Dawn while I'm gone?"

"Sure!" Paxie chirped. Johanna grinned and quickly nodded before leaving the room. As soon as the door clicked close, Paxie sighed heavily and walked over to Dawn so she could sit down on her bedside.

"So…how are you feeling?"

Dawn put on that innocent act and smiled warmly. "No need to worry! I'm totally fine! A-ok…"

"But?" Paxie asked. She had known Dawn too long, or at least, long enough to know when she wasn't really fine. She heard her sigh.

"But…" Dawn said. "I feel confused. What happened last night? It felt like a dream…" She placed a hand over her forehead and Paxie hesitated. Should she lie to Dawn as well? Should she tell her that whatever happened last night _was_ a dream? A pang of guilt struck her heart. _No_. It didn't feel right. She had to tell her the truth. She is, after all, possibly in love with that jerk.

"Dawn, everything that happened last night came true. Paul did save your life. Twice."

The bluette's eyes sparkled in surprise and delight. She sat upright and looked at her. "So it wasn't a dream?"

Paxie nodded. Dawn's stomach did a flip and her heart raced. She took a deep breath and exhaled steadily. "I thought so. The memories I recall…they're too vivid and clear to be a dream. I just wasn't sure…"

Paxie smiled. "Well, now you know. Just don't tell everyone else, ok? I didn't tell them."

Dawn shot her a look, perplexed. "What? Why not?"

During this time, Johanna had dashed downstairs and was just approaching the stove when she saw Brock tending to it instead. "Oh, Brock! You don't have to do that," she said. He grinned. "It's alright. I thought you might need some help." He placed a pot holder on the counter and put the kettle on top.

"Thank you," she appreciated with a warm smile. "Why don't I take care of things from here?" He nodded and was about to leave the kitchen when she called out, "Oh! Could you check up on the girls? They're in Dawn's room."

"Sure thing, Ms. Johanna," he accepted and walked upstairs. He came down the hallway and stopped in front of Dawn's door. Before he could turn the doorknob, he heard the two talking inside. He leaned one ear against the door and listened.

"I don't know. I feel kind of bad…" a familiar voice said awkwardly.

_"That's Dawn's voice!"_ Brock realized. _"But what is she talking about?"_

"But, Dawn! Don't you see?" Paxie persuaded. "Even if we do tell them, how are they going to believe that Paul came in the nick of time to rescue you from that crater, or jumped in front of you to block that Nidoking's attack? By mere coincidence? I doubt it. Besides, what good will it do?"

"It will give Brock and Ash a chance to see the good inside of Paul," Dawn doggedly argued with a little pout and a cross of her arms.

"Again, what good will it do? Paul would probably deny the whole thing since he's too proud to admit such actions."

"But I don't want to keep a secret from them!" Dawn exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air in exasperation. "It feels wrong!"

"I know…" Paxie spoke in comfort as she patted her back. "Just trust me."

Brock could hardly believe what he was hearing. Is it really true? Had Paul really been there to save Dawn, not once, but twice? How can that be? What really went on last night? He had to get to the bottom of this.

"Brock, what are you doing?"

He froze when he heard Ash behind him. It took some effort just to turn his head to look at him. "H-Huh?"

"I said, 'what are you doing'? Are you eavesdropping on the girls?" He had his arms crossed and a brow raised in suspicion. Brock freaked and covered his mouth quickly. "Shhh! Not so loud!"

Dawn heard mumbling coming from the other side of her door. "Is someone there?"

There was a reluctant pause before Brock and Ash entered the room. "Hey, you guys! We were just checking in. Is everything ok?"

"Yeah! Great!" Paxie exclaimed overenthusiastically. "In fact, I was just about to go. I hope you feel better, Dawn!" She winked at her. Dawn nodded. "Thanks, Onee-chan."

Paxie smiled. They both knew what the other _really_ meant. "You're welcome! C'mon, Brock and Ash! Let's head downstairs! We don't want to crowd Dawn's space. She needs time to rest, you know?"

The two dudes agreed and followed Paxie as she skipped out the door. Dawn sighed.

"Let's hope your right…" she whispered to herself.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Ok, Leo! Come on out!" Paxie called out and threw a poke ball in the air. In a ray of red light, a Luxio came out. He had his head held high and gave a cocky smile.

"Luxio? (What's up?)" he greeted to Pikachu, Piplup, and Elanor. He grinned wider when he caught sight of Elanor. The Espeon tried hard not to roll her eyes again.

"_Oh, please…_" she thought, irritated by him.

"Way cool!" Ash complimented. "When did you catch a Luxio?"

"Well, long story, short," Paxie explained. "I was apparently being loud and obnoxious to these Starlys and Staravias who were sleeping and woke them up. They weren't too happy about it so they began to attack me, but before they could even do that, Espeon came and countered the first attack with Psychic! I was super glad she arrived in time, but before long, she ran out of moves. The only two moves she had left were Last Resort and Morning Sun, but she wasn't able to use those moves. Luckily, Leo saved our butts by rescuing us both and helped us overcome our problems in the forest we were lost in!"

"Woah! That's awesome!" Ash told Leo. "Thanks for helping our friends out."

"(Eh, no problem)," he responded easily.

"So how did you catch Leo when you didn't have a poke ball in the first place?" Brock questioned. Paxie's answer faltered.

_"Shoot!"_ she thought angrily. _"I can't tell him that I got the poke ball from Paul! That'll defeat the whole purpose of trying to keep the secret!"_

~Flashback~

_"Phew! We made it!" Paxie said as she wiped the sweat off from her forehead. "And look! I can see Dawn's house!"_

_"Yeah. Big whoop," Paul sarcastically said with a roll of his eyes. Paxie ignored him and bent down to meet eye to eye with Luxio. "So…this is it, huh? This is good-bye?" The Luxio reluctantly nodded._

_"(Well, it's been fun!)" Elanor hurriedly cut in. "(But we really have to go now, so if you don't mind, we'll just carry on our way…)"_

_"Hold it!" Paxie exclaimed as a bright idea popped in her head. "I know! Why don't you come with us?"_

_"(Really?)" Luxio pretended to be shocked and gave a quick smirk to Elanor. She growled._

_"(No, no, no! Milady, don't do this!)" Elanor pleaded with her eyes, but her master was oblivious._

_"Yep! It'll be really awesome to have you on the team! So what do you say?"_

_"(Sounds good)," replied the Luxio. Elanor fell over and gloomy spirals and lines loomed around her as Luxio got a rub on the head._

_"Sweet! Isn't this great, Elanor? Elanor?" Paxie stared at her Espeon in bewilderment. "Oh, I get it!" Elanor's ears perked up. "She's so happy, she's speechless!" The Espeon's ears drooped. "Now, what shall I call you…?"_

_"You're going to give it a name?" Paul said. Paxie snorted. "Duh! Why shouldn't I?" He scoffed._

_"Ooh! I got it!" With a pointed finger, Paxie declared, "I'll name you…Leo!"_

_"(Leo, huh?)" He said, with a paw under his chin. "(I like it. It seems to suit me.)"_

_"(Don't get used to it)," Elanor muttered. Paxie clapped her hands together. "Yay! Welcome aboard, Leo!" She turned towards Paul with a hand out. "Give me a poke ball."_

_"Excuse me?" he said. "Why should I?"_

_"Because, if you don't, I'll blow you're whole stupid plan and tell everyone about what really happened last night, whether they believe me or not." She smiled smugly as he snarled._

_"Fine. Here," he flatly said as he dug out an empty poke ball from his backpack and handed it over. With a quick 'thank you', Paxie threw it at Leo. In a bolt of red, the Luxio was quickly zapped inside. The poke ball wobbled three times before a red light went off and it stopped. Paxie picked it up and cheered with her fist pumped in the air. "Alright! I caught a Luxio!"_

~End of Flashback~

"Yeah, uh, um, ok…" Paxie stuttered. She opened her mouth and pointed her finger up, as if to say something, but just then, Johanna called them from the front door. "C'mon in, everyone! Lunch is ready!" She went back inside to set up the table.

"Oh, would you look at that? I guess it's time to go in!" Paxie hastily said as she returned Leo back inside his poke ball, pushed the group up the porch steps and through the door, avoiding a difficult situation once more.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

It took only three days for Dawn's injuries to fully heal. By that time around, she was able to move and walk properly throughout the house. Everybody was happy about that, except for Paxie when she found out that Dawn, Ash, and Brock were going to depart soon.

"What? I came all this way to visit you for nothing?" Paxie shouted, disappointed. "I thought we were going to hang out together?"

"Sorry, Paxie," Dawn apologized. "But I've got my Contests and Ash has his Gym battles. We have to go."

"And it's my job to look after these two," Brock joined in. Paxie pouted.

"Aww, but I was so looking forward to spending time with…hey! I know!" Her genius ideas just kept coming. She turned to face her dad. "Could I please, please, _please_ go with them?"

"Huh?" everybody shrieked in unison.

"It's perfect! I'll still be able to hang out with you guys and Dawn and Ash still get to do their Contests and Gym battles! Plus, it'll be fun! What do you say?" Al scratched his chin in deep thought. "I don't know…"

"Oh, c'mon, dad! I'll be extra good!"

"Hmmm…"

"I'll be responsible! And make sure I always stick with them!"

"Well…"

"I'll bring you back a souvenir~!"

"Deal!" They shook hands on it and everyone else sweat dropped.

Before anyone could protest, Paxie zoomed down the hallway, brushed her teeth in the bathroom, washed her face, made sure her hair was just right, thrusted clothes and other stuff into her big tote bag, and basically got herself ready all under what seemed ten seconds flat!

"Now let's go, go, go!" Paxie hustled her three friends and their pokemon out the door. Johanna sweat dropped again and smiled as she waved them 'good-bye.'

"Teens nowadays…" she said with a sigh. Al grunted in agreement. "Yeah, I know what you mean…oh, I almost forgot!" She watched the man dart outside and meet up with Paxie.

"Paxie, wait! I want you to take this," he told her when he caught up. He pulled out a poke ball from his pocket and opened her hand so she could take it. Paxie looked at it, then at her dad. "Wait…you mean this is…?"

"Yes," he said sincerely. "Take it with you as a reminder that not only I'm with you, but your mom as well." He saw her trying to blink back the tears as she hugged him. "Thank you, dad…" They both smiled as he kissed the top of her head.

She pulled away and put the poke ball in her tote bag. "I'll see you soon, ok?" She waved as she rejoined the others. He waved back.

"We'll take good care of her!" Brock yelled out to Al.

"You better! _If_ you want to see another day, son!" he yelled back while shaking an angry fist. Brock shuddered in fear. Paxie and Dawn both giggled.

"Don't worry, Brock!" Paxie assured him. He's just joking."

"Are you sure?" he told her. She giggled again.

"Nope!"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Me: And there you have it! The 5th chappie! What'll happen next? Check back soon to find out! Please leave any comments and reviews! See ya soon! *slowly lowers a fishing hook into Paul's pocket* C'mon…where's me camera? *hooks something* Oh! Oh! I think I've got it…yes! Huzzah! Take that you… *finds camera with no memory card* B-But…But…! *gets down on knees and silently screams to the heavens* NOOOOOOOO!

Paul:…*smirks*


	6. Paul Verses Paxie!

**Let's Kick It Up A Notch!**

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Dawn, Paul, and I were all jamming out to the song "Check Yes Juliet" by We The Kings on the Rock Band 2 Wii game. Dawn was the singer, Paul played the drums, and I played the lead guitar! We were towards the end of the song already, and Dawn was singing pretty well.

Dawn:

_Run baby run_

_Don't ever look back_

_They'll tear us apart_

_If you give them the chance_

_Don't sell your heart_

_Don't say we are not meant to be_

_Run baby run_

_Forever will be_

_You and me_

_You and me_

_You and me_

The song ended and the virtual crowd cheered and whistled loudly. Dawn and I gave each other high-fives.

Me: Oh, yeah! That's what I'm talking about! XD

Dawn: I know! That was so much fun!

Paul: Hmph. Too easy.

Me: That's 'cause you set it on the "Easy" level, dummy. While moi had set it on Expert!

Paul: *glares* I told you, I didn't know how to do that.

Dawn & Me: *rolls eyes* Suuuure…

Paul: *death glares*

Me: *ignores him* Alright! Sing it out for us, Dawn!

Dawn: Gotcha! *sings into microphone* MoonlightNinja55! Disclaims all Pokemon! Except for characters she had made, and this awesome, nifty song~!

Me: *thumbs up* That was sweet! See, I knew you were ready for the next level!

Dawn: *blushes and smiles*

Paul: Whatever. I want a redo.

Me: Ok, but I'm warning you! The higher the level, the trickier it is!

Paul: Fine with me. I don't back down from challenges.

Me: Glad to hear that, because that's what this chappie is about!

Paul & Dawn: Huh?

Me: Just start the song! *turns back to camera* I hope everyone will enjoy the story! X3

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

**~Chapter 6: Paul Verses Paxie!~**

"Oh, wow! This place is wonderful!" Paxie exclaimed.

She and Elanor gazed at the view of Sandgem Town with eyes glittering in excitement. It was a lovely town, and just like Twinleaf, had lush green grass and lots of trees. It also gave off that quiet, peaceful vibe and that fresh clean outdoors smell. The only difference was that Sandgem had more houses, shops, and paved roads than Twinleaf. Still, the way the sun shined down on this small town helped show a unique beauty no city could match.

Dawn, Ash, Brock, and their pokemon all smiled at their new traveling companions who were feasting their eyes on the wondrous sight. It was going to be an interesting journey now that these two were with them. Suddenly, something crossed Dawn's mind.

"Oh! You didn't get introduced to all our pokemon yet, did you?" she told Paxie. Paxie peeled her eyes away from Sandgem Town and spun around to face her. She tapped her chin. "Hmm…now that you mention it, I didn't."

"Why don't we go to the Pokemon Center here?" Brock suggested. "That way, our pokemon can get to know each other while getting some rest."

"That's a great idea!" Ash approved with a grin. Dawn smiled too as Pikachu and Piplup rooted in joy. "What do you think, Paxie?"

"Sounds like a plan!" she agreed happily. "Did you hear that, Elanor? You're going to meet more new friends!"

"Espeon! (Magnificent!)" she said to her master. Paxie bent down to stroke her velvet back.

"Then it's settled! Here I come, Nurse Joy!" Brock shouted and broke into a run. The others sweat dropped.

"What was that about?" Paxie asked Ash. Ash sheepishly grinned.

"Brock is always doing that," he explained.

"Yeah, he always flirts with any girl he thinks is pretty, especially when it comes to a Nurse Joy or an Officer Jenny," Dawn said.

"You mean like that one time when he did that to me?" Paxie asked, pointing to herself.

"Exactly," Ash and Dawn replied simultaneously. Paxie sweat dropped and rolled her eyes. "Geez, I didn't know he was such a womanizer…"

Ash and Dawn cocked their heads to the side in confusion. Paxie sweat dropped again.

"Uh, never mind…" she muttered, and then thought, "_I know Dawn is kind of young to know this, but Ash? Really?_" She sighed and gazed up at the clear, azure sky.

"May the adventure begin."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

(Theme song)

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Nurse Joy had just handed over a trainer's pokemon after healing them when, all of a sudden, somebody grabbed her hand. She gasped when she saw it was a man with brown spikey hair and eyes that were squinted. He knelt down on one knee and flashed a charming white smile at her.

"You are like the heart that beats life into my soul!" he declared. "And your beauty shines so strong, no Goddess can compete with it!" He leaned in on her and she stared at him in bewilderment and fright. "Tell me…do you believe in love at first sight? Or do I need to walk by again-?"

He yelped in pain when Croagunk jabbed him in the side with his Poison Jab. He released his hold on Nurse Joy's hand and fell back. His body was now paralyzed and his arms and legs were all up in the air. Nurse Joy hovered over him with a hand to her lips. "Oh, dear…"

Just then, Dawn and the gang arrived at the Pokemon Center. The glass doors whooshed open and they walked inside. Paxie was the first to suck in air. "Oh my god, Brock! Are you okay?" She rushed to his side and Elanor tagged along.

"Actually, Paxie, Brock's not…" Dawn began, but decided to let it go and let her friend find out on her own. Paxie hovered over him and looked at him sympathetically. Her head then turned to face Nurse Joy. "Well? Aren't you going to do something?"

The nurse looked startled. "Uhh…"

"Look at him! Who could have done such a thing!" Paxie fretted. All eyes fell on Croagunk who looked at his paw and hid it behind his back before avoiding eye contact. "Can't you see he needs medical attention-?"

"You're the only cure for me," Brock said, out of the blue, as he snapped back to his old self again and held Paxie's hand. Everyone sweat dropped.

"That's precisely what he did to me," Nurse Joy told her. Hearing this, anger built inside Paxie and she focused that feeling into her fist. "You…you…"

"DARN WOMANIZER!" She sent him flying with an uppercut and he cried out when his head hit the ceiling, creating a slightly big crack. All were dumbfounded by this violent move as they watched him land on the floor with a huge THUD! He groaned, feeling more in pain than before.

"…poor Brock," Dawn finally spoke up, regretting her choice to not clear the situation to Paxie. "I wonder which one hurt the most…"

"Let's just say that Poison Jab seemed less painful," Ash gave his opinion and sweat dropped.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Oh, look. He got a new ice pack for his widdle head," Paxie muttered sarcastically as she saw Brock approaching them. "He sure is quick to throw out the old ice packs. Is this new ice pack better looking than the last one, Brock? Is that why you were so fast to change it?"

"I'm sorry, Paxie," he apologized for like the thousandth time. "I had you worried about me, and I'm sorry…"

"Yeah, well…I guess I was kind of out of line too. I forgive you…for now…" she said while pouting with her arms crossed. Dawn nervously smiled, glad that her friends had at least made up. "Ok, now that that's settled…" She took off her backpack and set it down on the floor. She then proceeded to open it and reach for her poke balls, which she pulled out and threw them up in the air. "C'mon out, everyone!"

Two pokemon appeared in a beam of red light. One was a yellow and chocolate brown bunny while the other was a cute blue and white squirrel with yellow cheek sacs.

"Alright! Time to come on out, too!" Ash rooted as he got out his poke balls and threw them. Brock did the same. In an instant, more pokemon appeared. There was a Grass-type turtle, a purple monkey, a black-and-white-feathered bird with an orange beak, and another pokemon that could have been mistaken for a walking log with branches as arms that had three green spheres at the tips. Croagunk was already out.

"Oh, I better take out Leo!" Paxie remembered. She dug through her tote bag and took out his poke ball. With a press of a button, she opened the poke ball and in a red bolt, the Luxio came out.

"Ok, so this is Buneary and Pachirisu!" Dawn chirped as she introduced her pokemon first. The cute duo held hands and cheered.

"This is Turtwig, Aipom, and Staravia," Ash introduced his pokemon next.

"And this is Sudowoodo," Brock introduced last. "You sort of already know my Croagunk…"

"Yeah," Paxie responded, eyeing the blue frog. Then, to their pokemon, she said, "Hey, guys! This is Elanor and Leo."

Her Espeon and Luxio began to mingle with the others. Buneary, Pachirisu, and Aipom crowded around Elanor, while Turtwig, Staravia, and Sudowoodo crowded around Leo.

"(Greetings, good friends)," Elanor spoke kindly to them. "(It's wonderful to meet you all)."

"(Wow! A new girl?)" Pachirisu hyperly squealed. "(This is so exciting! Now we can all be best friends forever! Yay!)" The cute squirrel started to run around Elanor ecstatically. The Espeon sighed and sweat dropped.

"(Don't mind her)," Aipom said. "(She's just a very happy pokemon. Sometimes, a little _too_ happy for my taste…)"

"(Oh…I see)," was all Elanor could say.

"(Tee hee! Oh, c'mon!)" Buneary said, smiling and nudging her a bit. "(Traveling together will be fun! I promise!)"

Elanor smiled back at her. "(Then, I shall trust your words.)"

"(Hello, there)," Turtwig greeted Leo first. "(It's nice to see another man in our mist.)"

"(The pleasure's all mine)," Leo replied, smiling cockily.

"(Where do you come from?)" Sudowoodo asked.

"(Oh, just around…)" he answered simply.

"(Well, I hope we can become great friends)," Staravia benignly said. Leo looked at him hard and then, out of nowhere, a memory of the time when he saved Elanor back at that forest flashed through his mind.

"(You!)" he growled low and bared his teeth. "(I thought I defeated you! Did you come back to hurt Elanor or Paxie again?)" He took a step towards him, and Staravia took a step back, confused.

"(What? What's he talking about?)" Turtwig questioned Staravia. (Have you met Leo before?)"

"(N-No! I haven't!)" Staravia denied anxiously.

"(Liar!)" Leo cried. "(I remember you and your friends ganging up on them! Have you no shame?)" It was then that Paxie took notice of how her Luxio was acting towards Ash's Staravia. The others noticed as well.

"Leo, no!" Paxie cried, getting between him and Staravia. "He's not the same Staravia from the forest! This is Ash's pokemon!"

"(What?)" Leo said, astonished. "(But, I thought…)"

The glass doors of the Pokemon Center whooshed open. Everyone spun around to see who just came in. Both Dawn's and Paxie's eyes grew wide.

Out of all the people in the world, a certain plum-haired guy just so happened to arrive at that very moment.

"_Here we go again,_" Paxie thought, a headache coming on.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"_Ah, hell,_" Paul cursed in his mind. "_It's_ them _again._ _What are they doing here? Are they following me?" _He grunted._ "Just ignore them and pretend they aren't even there…_"

Paul walked straight towards the counter where Nurse Joy was standing, without so much as a glance in the gang's direction.

"Here you go!" Nurse Joy chirped as she handed back his pokemon. "You're all set."

Paul bowed respectfully. "Thanks." He turned around and was approaching the exit when he heard Ash call him. "Hey, Paul!"

He scowled before facing his so-called "rival." "What?"

"Looks to me your pokemon are healed. How about we battle?"

Paul scoffed. "There's no way I'm wasting my time battling. Besides, when are you going to see that I'm just stronger than you?"

"Never!" Ash angrily refused. "Because training pokemon harshly won't make you stronger! Only through friendship and teamwork can you ever be truly strong!"

"And how is that working out for you?" Paul countered.

Ash tightened his fists and took a step towards him, but Brock held him back by the shoulders. "Hey, easy now. We don't want any trouble."

Paul smirked. "You're still so pathetic, Ash." Ash gritted his teeth.

"Enough!" Paxie had at last spoke up and stormed right up to him. "No jerk is going to pick on my friends and think they can get away with it!"

"Oh, yeah? And who the hell are you?" Paul snapped and glared at her.

"What? You don't know who I-!" she began, but faltered and thought, _"Ah, crap, that's right! I'm supposed to keep the stupid truth…"_ Ash and Brock looked suspiciously at her while Dawn fidgeted uneasily in her spot. "…I-I mean, I'm Paxie!"

"Hmph. Paxie?" he said. "Who would want to name their kid that?"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" she yelled at him. Now both Brock and Ash had to help hold her back. "Let me go! Grrrr! Your face has an appointment with my fist!"

"Oh. Hold on," Paul said, out of nowhere. He reached into his pocket and got out a red scarf. Everyone froze. He looked at Dawn. "Here, uh…"

Dawn tapped her foot and waited impatiently for him to say her name. When he didn't, she reminded him, "It's Dawn. Dawn!"

He smirked. "Ok, Troublesome. Take it. It is yours, right?" She blushed furiously. "Y-Yes…thank you…"

At that moment, her fingers brushed against his as she took back her scarf. Involuntarily, they both gasped and gazed at each other when they felt something spark between them, in that touch. Neither knew what it was, but the emotion that suddenly ran through them felt…thrilling.

"Er…you guys…?" Paxie awkwardly spoke up, waving a hand in front of their faces. The two were instantly brought back to reality. Paul quickly turned away to recompose himself while Dawn was left flustered with her thoughts.

"_Oh, my!_" she thought, feeling her cheeks grow warmer. "_What just happened? It feels like my heart had just skipped a beat! I can barely breathe!_"

"_What the hell?_" Paul thought crossly. "_One second, I'm giving the stupid girl back her scarf, and the next, I feel…_"

He didn't know how to finish his sentence.

"Hey, everything ok?" Paxie whispered to Dawn. Dawn was still in a daze.

"I…I'm not quite…sure…"

The situation was quickly diverted when Ash asked Paul the question that was on Brock's mind. "Hey! Where did you get Dawn's scarf?"

"…Found it," answered Paul flatly with a glare, returning back to his usual cold attitude.

"Yeah, but where-?"

"Look, I didn't come here to be interrogated," Paul disputed. "I came here to get my pokemon and that's it. I'm out of here."

He was making his way towards the door. Paxie was thinking frantically.

"_Ok, obviously, something's up between Paul and Dawn,_" she thought. "_But neither are realizing or acknowledging their feelings for each other, even when destiny keeps throwing them together! I mean, that's got to be a sign, right? But their relationship won't go very far if they just bump into each other, spend some time, and separate for God knows how long! What should I do…?_"

"Wait a minute!" Paxie tried to stop him. "We're all going the same way. How about we…travel together?"

"W-What!" Dawn, Ash, and Brock shouted in astonishment.

"Sorry. I travel alone," he responded distantly without hesitation nor stopping. He was almost out the door.

"Umm…then…" Paxie stammered, trying to buy time to think fast as she bit her bottom lip. "Then, I-I'll…_I'll_ challenge you to a battle!"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Paul stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder curiously. The others were gawking, giving her that what-did-she-just-say look. "Come again?"

"I said that I'll challenge you to a battle!" Paxie repeated herself. "If you lose, you have to travel with us. If I lose, you'll be free to travel like the wolf loner you are."

She smiled smugly when she saw Paul's bangs hang over his eyes and a small red vein throbbing on the side of his head.

"_Wolf loner?_" he repeated the insult in his head. He clenched his fists.

"Hold on a second, Paxie!" Ash spoke up, stepping forward. "_I_ was the one who wanted to battle-!"

Brock blocked him with his arm and Ash just looked up at his friend in confusion. "Wait, Ash. This actually sounds…interesting."

Dawn was just speechless. "_Onee-chan,_" she thought. "_What are you doing…?_"

"Nice try," replied Paul. "But I'm not going to fight in some damn battle with an _amateur_." He smirked. Now it was Paxie's turn to feel provoked. She laughed harshly.

"Well, if I'm such an 'amateur,' then what do you have left to lose? Or are you just too afraid to lose to a _girl_?"

The last word was like a blade aiming threateningly at Paul's neck. At that point, everyone just tensed up, waiting for his reaction that was sure to be of anger. He marched right up to her and defended himself with his own sword.

"You're on," he accepted. She smirked.

"Bring it."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

All was well and sound, when out of nowhere, a knock came upon his door. He walked to the door and opened it.

"Yes?" answered Professor Rowan. He looked down, only to see a group of familiar faces, except one. "Ah, Dawn. So nice to see you again. Oh, and you too, Ash and Brock. Hello, again, young man…Paul, was it?"

"Yeah," Paul said. Professor Rowan nodded once. "And who might this young lady be?"

"This is Paxie, my childhood friend, sir," Dawn explained politely. Paxie waved.

"Hi there!" she greeted. "It's an honor to meet you, sir! Dawn has told me about you in my letters. Um, not to be of any inconvenience or anything, but do you mind if we can borrow your field?"

Professor Rowan raised an eyebrow. "What for?"

"Well, to put it simply…" she said with a smile, and then pointed at Paul, "I'm going to kick that guy's butt!"

Dawn smacked her forehead while Brock and Ash were starting to realize that Paxie was full of surprises. Paul's eye twitched and he glared severely at her. The white-haired professor just blinked twice. "I beg your pardon?"

Dawn quickly covered Paxie's mouth and nervously smiled. "What she means is: Can we borrow the field so that she and Paul can have a battle?"

"Oh, why didn't you say so?" Professor Rowan approved. "Of course. Be my guest."

"Sweet! Thank you, sir!" Paxie appreciated once her mouth was free to speak. The professor heartily grinned.

"You're welcome."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Paxie, do you even know how to battle?" Dawn questioned her.

They were over on the opposite side of the grassy field, separate from Ash, Paul, and Brock. Paxie was preparing herself and Elanor while Dawn sat and talked to her.

"Yeah," she answered. "I battled those Starlys and Staravias with Elanor before. I told you that, right?"

"But those were wild pokemon," Dawn pointed out. "You're battling against a _trainer_ now, and that trainer happens to be a really good one."

"So?"

"Paul and Ash had their first match right here, and it ended in a tie."

Paxie's eyes went wide. "Really?"

"Really."

She tapped her chin. "Well…doesn't that mean that Paul is even more worthy to challenge?"

"But…Paxie! Have you ever battled a trainer before?"

"Nope!"

Dawn sweat dropped while Elanor sighed. "See? You're not even experienced!"

"There's a first time for everything," Paxie said nonchalantly with a shrug.

"Onee-chan, please!" Dawn begged, standing up. "You don't have to do this for my sake."

Paxie's expression swapped from relaxed, to disbelief, and then to seriousness. "Imouto, I'm not doing this because I have to. I'm doing this because I _want_ to."

The bluette stared at her friend incredulously. Paxie continued.

"This is a way of repaying you for being such a great friend to me back then, even when others weren't. I want you to have what I couldn't four years ago, and that's happiness in your first love."

"Onee-chan…" Dawn whispered, her crystal eyes now filling with tears. Paxie smiled serenely.

"Hey! Are you done, over there?" Paul called from the other end of the field.

"Yeah, just give us several more minutes!" Paxie called back. She faced Dawn again. "I just want you to know that I'll be there when you need me. All I want you to do is believe in me in return. Can you do that?"

She was rendered speechless, so she just nodded. Then, she surprised Paxie by hugging her. "Thank you…I always knew you had a kind heart…"

Paxie only hesitated a second before hugging her back. She tried hard not to cry. "Me too…"

After a few moments, they pulled away and both girls giggled, feeling silly as they wiped away their tears.

"Ok!" Paxie said. "You better go. Tell Paul to give me two more minutes. I want to talk to Elanor and Leo before we battle."

"Sure thing!" Dawn agreed and waved with a smile. "Good luck!"

"Thanks!" Paxie shouted, waving back. To herself, she said, "We'll need all the luck we can get…"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Alright, Leo! Come on out!" Paxie ordered as she threw his poke ball.

In a red flash, the Luxio appeared. He seemed confused and searched around him. "Luxio? (Where am I?)" he said.

"Hey, Leo," Paxie greeted him as she bent down. "We're outside Professor Rowan's lab right now. Professor Rowan is a nice man that had let us borrow his field so that we can battle Paul. You know, the purple-haired guy over there?" She pointed to him. Leo nodded in understanding. "This battle is really important to me, so I would be grateful if you and Elanor will try your best, ok?"

"(No problem)," he replied casually. "(I have nothing better to do.)"

Paxie smiled. "How about you, Elanor? You ready for some action?"

The Espeon grinned. "(I'm always up for action, milady.)"

"Sweet! Then let's get out there!" Paxie shouted, punching her fist in the air. Leo and Elanor rooted with her.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

A slight breeze blew all around them. It gently blew Paxie's raven bangs, which blended into hot pink at the ends, away from her lavender eyes that sparkled in excitement. Her side ponytail and yellow hood softly flapped in the wind. She kept clenching and unclenching her fists tensely as a cold bead of sweat dripped down the side of her cheek. She felt her stomach go queasy and gulped. It's hard not to be nervous about your first battle, especially when you know that this might be a big impact on your best friend's love life. Yep, there's no pressure at all. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

Elanor looked up at her master in concern. She knew how she felt. She was just as nervous to please her in battle. The Espeon's eyes hardened in determination. She promised herself to give it her all, once it becomes her turn to fight.

On the opposite end of the field, Paul was staring at Paxie. His dark violet hair moved with the wind, along with the collar of his dark blue jacket. He had his hands in his pockets and had an intimidating expression on his face like always. On his right, Dawn and Ash were standing behind Brock. Dawn held Piplup in her arms and Pikachu was propped on top of Ash's right shoulder. They all gazed on at the two opponents, ready to watch a significant battle.

"I'll be the referee," Brock announced. "This will be a three-on-three battle with no substitutions. Each trainer will be able to use three pokemon. The victory will go towards the first trainer who reaches two wins. Got it?"

Paul and Paxie nodded their heads, understanding the rules. "Good. On my mark…"

"Prepare yourself, because I don't count on losing," Paul shouted to Paxie. She smirked.

"Then I guess that makes two of us."

"Get set…"

"Man, this is great!" Ash exclaimed. "I would have liked to battle Paul myself, but seeing him face off against a girl is getting me pumped! Who do you think will win, Dawn?"

The bluette only smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, really!" Then, she thought secretly, "_Paxie, do your best! I believe in you._"

"Battle!"

"Elekid! Stand by!" Paul commanded.

"Ok, Leo! Let's rock!" Paxie yelled out.

Both Elekid and the Luxio appeared on the battlefield. Leo was down on all fours and looked ready to lunge as he exchanged glares with Elekid.

"Well, this didn't start off good."

Dawn and Ash looked up to see Professor Rowan again.

"Professor! Did you come out here to see them fight?" Dawn asked him.

"Yes, and it seems that this type matchup won't do," he answered. "Electric-type attacks obviously won't be as effective on either opponent. I wonder what your friend Paxie might be up to?"

"Elekid! Use Thunderpunch!" Paul ordered it. Elekid's fist began to glow a golden hue and rushed towards the Luxio.

"Leo! Dodge and use Bite!" Paxie shouted. The Luxio dodged the attack quickly and bit Elekid's arm. Elekid cried out in pain, feeling Leo's teeth sink in, and tried to shake him off.

"Get him off by using Thunder!" Paul commanded. Elekid obeyed and charged up a lot of electricity to send out a powerful Thunder attack, which shocked Leo's whole body. However, Leo absorbed the attack and sank his teeth in more.

"Hold on, Leo!" Paxie shrieked to him. Elanor gazed at the Luxio in concern.

"C'mon! Use Thunderpunch again!" Paul commanded fiercely. The Elekid punched Leo square in the face and he finally let go. Leo skidded back a few feet before finally stopping. He still stood firm and had his head held high. Elekid was panting a little while one hand was gripping the other arm, the spot where the bite marks were still visible.

"Our turn! Use Charge!" Paxie ordered. Leo began storing electricity inside of him.

"Use Thunder!" Paul hastily insisted, but Elekid cringed and didn't move. Paul gritted his teeth. "I told you to use Thunder!"

"Too slow! Now use Spark!" Paxie pursued. Leo dashed towards Elekid and gave him a dose of his super awesome bright attack. Everyone had to close their eyes and look away from the dazzling light. Elekid was knocked off his feet and was sent flying before tumbling and at last, landing on its back. Luxio wiped away some dirt on the corner of its mouth as he cockily grinned. Elanor stared at him in surprise and admiration. Professor Rowan looked especially impressed.

"Hmm…I think that's a Special Ability called Rivalry," he explained. "Rivalry increases Leo's attacks by twenty-five percent, meaning more damage is brought to its target."

"Woah, really?" Dawn said, sounding intrigued. The professor nodded.

"Fortunately, that Special Ability is a great advantage in this situation since Leo and Elekid are the same gender. If Elekid was the opposite gender to Leo, then Rivalry would have the opposite effect."

"You mean if Elekid was a girl, then Leo would go easy on him, I mean, her?" Ash said so bluntly.

Dawn, Piplup, and Pikachu sweat dropped as Professor Rowan gave a hearty laugh. "Precisely."

"Alright! Finish it off with a Maximum Spark!" Paxie shrieked. Leo prepared himself to give it all he's got.

"Protect!" Paul demanded. Hurriedly, the worn-out Elekid got on his feet and put up a green shiny shield around him in order to defend himself.

"Oh no you don't! Use Roar!" Paxie persisted. Leo gave up on the Spark attack and closed its eyes. When he reopened them, he had sucked in a big gulp of air and released a powerful roar that shook the battlefield. It was so ear-splitting and deafening that everybody had to cover their ears. Elekid trembled and watched with wide eyes as its shield started to crack. It began with one line, which eventually branched out and met up with other lines until the entire green shield shattered. Paul was awestruck. No one had ever penetrated his Elekid's protective shield before. He didn't even think it was possible.

"Now! Maximum Spark!" Paxie screamed over the roar. The roar was swiftly silenced and Leo charged at Elekid, who was now completely vulnerable.

"D-Dodge it!" Paul called out, almost desperately, but it was too late. Leo got too close to Elekid, and in one giant blinding golden blast, the electric pokemon was knocked unconscious. It was lying on the ground helplessly and his eyes went all swirly.

"Elekid is unable to battle!" Brock declared. "The win goes to Leo!"

Paxie, Ash, Dawn, and their pokemon all cheered for him.

"Way to go!" Paxie said.

"That was awesome!" Ash said.

"You were great, Leo!" Dawn said.

Piplup and Pikachu gave him a thumbs up. Elanor was gaping at him.

"_Incredible…_" she thought. "_So much…power…_"

Leo looked back to glance at her and wink with a smirk. She blushed slightly and stubbornly stuck her nose in the air, turning her head away.

Paul returned Elekid into his poke ball and grimaced. "You'll regret the next time you fail me," he told it harshly as he placed it away. He looked up to face Paxie. "It seems I've underestimated you. That's a mistake I won't repeat again."

With this, the cheerful mood went heavy and tense. Paxie glared at Paul, sweat evident on her forehead.

"Ursaring! Stand by!" Paul ordered. A giant brown bear with a yellow ring on its belly growled as it appeared. Poor Leo had to look up to him in order to see his face. Leo sweat dropped.

"_What a big guy…_" he thought.

"Alright!" Paxie shouted. "Leo, use-!"

"Ursaring, use Fury Swipes!" Paul called out to him. Ursaring ran towards Leo and started to swipe away at his face. Leo was pushed back with each hit, yelping in pain.

"Hey! You didn't give me a chance!" Paxie yelled at Paul. He smirked.

"Your point?"

A big red vein began to throb on her head. "That's it! C'mon, Leo! Counter with Spark!"

The Luxio obeyed and with the next close contact, Leo shot Ursaring with the brilliant attack. The Ursaring cried out as it felt its body being electrocuted.

"Focus Blast!" Paul commanded. Ursaring put aside its pain and concentrated on building its attack. Both Leo and Elanor widened their eyes in fear as they thought, "_No…!_"

"Dodge, Leo!" Paxie insisted frantically, but the Luxio couldn't. He stood rooted to his spot, waiting for the impact that has yet to come. Elanor bared her teeth, and shouted, "(You, idiot! Move!)"

By the time Leo gained some feeling and turned around to see Elanor, the brutal attack was released on him and he was soaring through the air. Paxie watched hopelessly as he tumbled and rolled, finally skidding to a halt in front of her. His tongue hanged out of his mouth and his eyes were in a spiral.

"Leo is unable to battle! Victory goes to Ursaring!" Brock proclaimed. The Ursaring beated its chest ferociously and Paul just smirked. Paxie got on her knees and gazed tenderly at her Luxio and smiled calmly. "You definitely deserve a rest. Thank you for your help."

With one eye open, Leo gave a cocky grin, despite all his injuries. "(No problem. Glad I could help.)" To Elanor, he grinned wider. "(Go get 'im, darling.)"

The Espeon's eyes softened as she watched him return inside his poke ball. "Leo…"

"C'mon, Elanor!" Paxie told her as she got up. "Let's show them how it's done!"

Elanor nodded and ran onto the battlefield confidently. Ursaring looked at her and chuckled deeply. She glared at him. "(What's so funny?)"

"(You? You're going to fight _me_? You're just a girl!)" he ridiculed and chuckled again. Elanor death glared.

"(We'll see who'll have the last laugh…)"

"Ursaring! Use Fury Swipes again!" Paul ordered. Ursaring smirked and grew its claws, ready to slice her.

"Quick! Dodge and use Psychic!" Paxie shouted. Espeon quickly dodged the first swipe at her and attacked. Ursaring looked as if his form turned transparent and was wavering. He growled at the pain inflicted on him and stumbled back a bit.

"Now! Use Future Sight!"

Elanor's red orb on her forehead began to glow a bright shine. She focused her power onto Ursaring and after a few moments, saw a vision of the Ursaring using a Hyper Beam attack. She swallowed as cold sweat rolled down her cheek. "(Oh, no…)"

"Use Focus Blast, Ursaring!"

After shaking his head, the Ursaring concentrated his efforts on his attack like before and released it on Elanor. The Espeon's pupils shrank.

"Elanor, no!" Paxie cried, but she couldn't do anything. In only a few seconds, the Espeon was airborne, tucked, and rolled. Clouds of dirt covered the area. Everyone was coughing and trying to wave away the clouds.

"What happened? Did Paul win?" Ash questioned through his coughs.

"I don't know. It's hard to tell…" Brock answered before giving a nasty cough. Dawn felt worried.

"_How could this be? Did Paxie really lose?_" she thought. Then, realizing her doubt, she turned them around. "_No! I have to believe…I have to trust her._"

Several minutes past before the clouds began to lift. Everyone was squinting, trying to see through them. Just then, a dark figure of Espeon's body was lying still behind a dirt cloud. Dawn and Paxie could feel their hearts sink, along with their hopes. Paul smirked victoriously. "Hmph. It's over. Looks like I win another battle. Figures." Dawn, for some reason, was close to tears while Paxie glared at him in hatred.

"Wait! Look!" Brock pointed out.

Everyone turned heads and gasped. The cloud of dirt cleared and Elanor was struggling to get back up. With a great effort, she pushed herself off the grassy floor, and finally stood strongly on all fours. Scratches, bruises, and wounds were evident, but she hadn't fainted yet. Paxie smiled wholeheartedly at her.

"Sweet! That's the spirit, Elanor!" she rooted. "And now…" She looked up at the sky and saw that a huge cloud had at last passed by the sun. She smiled wider. "Use Morning Sun!"

The Espeon tilted her head back and closed her eyes. White glitter began to surround her and her injuries were beginning to heal. Dawn stared at Elanor in amazement. "Wow! What a wonderful move!"

Paul tightened his fists in anger. "C'mon, Ursaring! Take her out for good with Hyper Beam!" The Ursaring snapped out of his gawking and tried to focus all his energy on his move, but the thing was…he couldn't move.

"Ursaring is paralyzed!" Brock realized. "It must have been from Leo's last Spark attack."

Hearing this, Elanor smiled, quietly thanking Leo for his aid. Her healing was complete and now she felt entirely refreshed.

"Okay! Last Resort, Elanor!" Paxie shrieked. The Espeon gladly obeyed and rushed towards Ursaring.

"Hyper Beam, Ursaring! NOW!" Paul demanded. The Ursaring hastily broke out of his paralyzed state and cocked back its head. A brilliant orb began to form in its mouth. Elanor was drawing closer, picking up more speed and momentum with each step while Ursaring's orb was increasing in size.

"Go, Elanor!"

"Do it!" Paul commanded.

Ursaring finally took aim at Elanor and shot the beam at her. The attacks collided, creating an ear-piercing boom. A blast of wind picked up and blew wildly in every direction. Everybody had their arms brought up in front of them in defense and cringed as they tried to cover themselves. Just as fast as it happened, the wind dropped. They all looked up in wonder and were stunned. Both Ursaring and Elanor had fainted at the same time. Paul was speechless. So was Paxie.

"Both pokemon are unable to battle. The result is a tie!" Brock announced.

"Wow! That was intense!" Ash exclaimed.

"And close," Dawn said. "Almost _too_ close…"

"Indeed. Both trainers seem to be a match for each other in power and strength. It's truly remarkable."

Paul returned Ursaring to its poke ball while Paxie walked over to her Espeon and bent down. When she saw how battered she was, she gazed at her sympathetically. "Oh, Elanor…" She picked her up and hugged her. "Thank you so much…"

Elanor smiled weakly. "Espe…on… (Don't worry…milady…)"

Paxie walked back to where she was standing and gently placed Elanor on the floor. "Take it easy, ok?" Afterwards, she faced Paul and glared hard.

"Now it's down to the final round," Brock announced. "The trainer who wins this round will be the victor!"

"You're going down," Paul threatened Paxie. "This battle is as good as mine. Chimchar! Stand by!" He threw a poke ball and a Fire-type monkey appeared on the battlefield.

"Not if I can help it!" Paxie countered as she reached into her tote bag and pulled out her last poke ball. She took a moment to pause and stare, gripping the poke ball tightly. "I'm counting on you…"

"Hey, isn't that the poke ball Paxie's dad gave her?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah!" Ash replied. "I wonder what pokemon is it?"

"Alright, Marissa! Rock and roll!" Paxie shouted. In a zap of red light, a big blue plesiosaur-like pokemon appeared. It had four flippers and a dark heavy shell on its back. Its front flippers were particularly larger than its hind ones while its shell was dotted with big blunt knobs. It also had a short white horn in the middle of its forehead and curled ears. The pokemon craned its long neck and stared at Paul with its deep obsidian eyes. Everybody was taken aback.

"What is that?" Dawn asked as she took out her pink Pokedex.

"Lapras," the Pokedex informed. "The Transport Pokemon. It loves crossing the sea with people and pokemon on its back."

"_Woah! I haven't seen a Lapras in a long time,_" Ash thought. "_The last time I saw one was back in Orange Islands…_"

"It seems to me that Paxie might have the upper-hand in this type matchup," Professor Rowan said. "However, according to my knowledge, Lapras is usually a peaceful pokemon rarely used in battles. So, unless Paxie has been training it, it could be anyone's game."

Dawn pondered on this. "_Paxie told me that this is her first battle, so it isn't likely that she did train her Marissa. Oh, Onee-chan, please…_" She gazed at her friend. "_Do your best._"

"Chimchar! Use Flame Wheel!" Paul commanded first. Chimchar tucked and rolled towards Lapras while having himself engulfed in fire.

"Marissa! Use Protect!" Paxie ordered. The Lapras hurriedly formed a huge green shield that protected her. Chimchar's attack proved useless and he bounced off of the shield.

"Now use Brine!"

Marissa opened her mouth wide open and heavy drops of rain were about to shower on Chimchar.

"Dodge by using Dig!"

Chimchar dug a tunnel underground and Marissa's attack missed. Paxie grew worried. "Stay calm and try to sense him!"

Marissa searched around her, but she didn't seem to be able to feel Chimchar coming.

"Attack and use Ember!"

Chimchar suddenly popped out and shot flames in Marissa's face. She cried out in pain, feeling the flames burn her blue skin.

"Get 'im, Marissa!"

The Lapras tried to use Brine again, but Chimchar was too fast and hid underground. He repeatedly popped out of another hole and used Ember for about several turns.

"Grrr! How am I supposed to counter that?" Paxie thought feverishly as she glared at the mass of holes. All of a sudden, a light bulb lit up in her mind. "Marissa! Use Brine and aim it inside a hole!"

Marissa obeyed and sent out a shower of heavy rain in a hole. Chimchar jumped out of another hole and was yelping at the pain inflicted on him. Paxie saw how both pokemon had taken heavy damages. Sweat dripped down her cheeks as a voice echoed in her head.

"_Only use that move when it's an emergency,_" a familiar feminine voice said. "_Use it when the time is right._"

"_But I can't use substitutions this time,_" Paxie told the voice. She tightened her fists. "_I'm…sorry…_"

"Marissa! Perish Song!"

Reluctantly, the Lapras inhaled a big breath of air and sung. A mournful song played out while distorted music notes were released. They danced around Marissa and Chimchar in a circle. Everyone had to cover their ears again since it sounded high-pitched and screechy, as if someone had just slowly clawed a chalkboard. After some time, the music notes and the song dropped dead.

"What did that move do?" Dawn questioned.

"Perish Song is a risky move that affects all pokemon on the field. At the end of three turns, those who were affected will be knocked out," Professor Rowan explained.

Dawn and Ash gasped. "What? So Paxie has to beat Paul in three turns?" Ash shouted in shock. The professor nodded. Ash gritted his teeth.

"C'mon, Paxie! You can do it!" Ash cheered her on. Paul glared at him in disdain.

"No! Finish her off with another Flame Wheel!"

Chimchar speedily rolled again, creating flames as he got faster.

"Use Protect!"

Marissa formed the same green shield again and Chimchar bounced back, falling in a hole. Paxie was quick on her feet.

"Now! Maximum Brine in that hole!"

It was almost like seeing a flood of water getting poured into the hole before finally gushing out in all those holes in one humongous burst. One blast of water pushed Chimchar straight up into the air. An idea crossed Paul's mind.

"Chimchar! Take advantage and attack head-on with an all-out Flame Wheel!"

He obeyed and dived directly down, rolling as he went and creating a huge flame that wavered in the glare. Marissa stared up fearfully and quivered at the sight.

"Marissa, use Protect!"

But the Lapras was frozen in fear. She never experienced such intense battling before, nor seen such fiery passion in an enemy's eyes. She wanted to run. She wanted to obey her master, but this opponent of hers was speedier than her. There wouldn't be enough time. She closed her eyes shut, feeling early defeat. Paul smirked at this cowardly reaction.

"_No!_" Paxie thought stubbornly. "_It won't end like this!_" She screamed.

"I believe in you Marissa!"

Just then, it was like something had awakened in the peaceful Lapras's heart. Marissa felt a pulsation within and opened her eyes, narrowing them at Chimchar. At that moment, involuntarily, she let out a very loud battle cry that rang throughout the area. Paul, Dawn, Ash, Brock, Professor Rowan, Paxie, and their pokemon were all amazed and confused as a bitter cold mist had concealed the battlefield, along with Chimchar and Lapras.

"That's the move Sheer Cold!" Professor Rowan exclaimed.

Even after a good five minutes, the frosty mist still lingered. All of a sudden, a loud thud was heard and the mist dispersed, clearing the field. Everybody looked in anticipation. Paxie gasped.

"Marissa…you…!" she breathed.

The Lapras was still standing, tall and firm. She smiled and sighed before gazing compassionately at the Chimchar who had fainted.

"Chimchar is unable to battle! Marissa is the winner!" Brock declared.

Paul dropped to his knees and stared. "I…lost?"

"You did it, Marissa!" Paxie cheered and ran up to her to hug her neck. "I knew you could do it! I just knew it!"

The Lapras smiled wider, feeling absolutely content that she had pleased her master. Elanor saw this from afar and smiled too.

"Yeah! Way to go!" Ash exclaimed, pumping his fist into the air. Piplup threw his arms in the air and rooted with Pikachu. Dawn was blinking hard and rubbed her eyes, as if considering this to be a dream. She felt a hand lay on her shoulder. She looked up. "Professor Rowan?"

"I have to say, that was quite an entertaining battle," he complimented. "I'm happy that I witnessed it. You're friend Paxie is a marvelous trainer. Not only did she put her mind into the battle, but she also put her heart in it as well. Do you realize that?"

Dawn nodded and smiled warmly. "Yeah…" She gazed back at Paxie who was now tending to a fainted Lapras. "After all, she is my Onee-chan."

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After a quick trip to the Pokemon Center, the gang arrived back at Professor Rowan's lab to thank him.

"I had a lot of fun!" Paxie told him. "Thanks for letting us borrow the field."

The white-haired professor grinned. "It was no trouble at all. Come back to visit anytime."

They waved good-bye to him and set off in the direction of Jubilife City. Elanor, Piplup, and Pikachu were leading the group while Brock, Ash, Paxie, and Dawn walked behind them. Paul hanged back from the gang, hands in his pockets and obviously moping about his defeat. Dawn was the only one who noticed this. She left Paxie's side and walked over to Paul. "Hey, c'mon! There's no use in sulking."

Paul glared at her. "Why do _you_ care? Just leave me alone." He waited for her to leave, but she didn't budge. Actually, she stopped in her tracks. He stopped too, looking back at her. "What?"

"You know, you say cold things to people, Paul," she said. "You push people away at the times you need them most, like when you need comfort when you're in pain." She boldly took his hand in hers and gazed into his dark eyes. Paul was surprised by this move and slightly blushed. "You don't always have to deal with things by yourself. You have friends now. Okay?" She smiled kindheartedly.

"_Friends…huh?_" he thought, trying out the word. It sounded strange and foreign to him. It was a word he never used and never thought of using.

"Yo! Stop lagging behind!" Paxie called to Dawn and Paul. "You better keep up, or else we're leaving you!"

"Alright!" Dawn called back. "C'mon, Paul! Let's go!"

And so, Dawn dragged him over to the others who were waiting and waving in the distance. The sun was setting in the sky. Colors like gold, orange, pink, and lavender all blended harmoniously together. Paul looked at the group and then at Dawn. They all looked so happy. Secretly, a tiny grin replaced his old smirk.

"_Maybe…just maybe,_" he thought. "_Losing that battle wasn't such a bad thing after all…_"

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Me: Ok, yeah, I admit the beginning was a little sketchy and unorganized, but I hope I wrapped the story up neatly. Was it fun to read? I hope so! I went through a lot of researching in order to create this story so you people better be happy! XP Anyways, adieu! *turns to face gloomy Paul* Hey, c'mon! It wasn't that bad…

Paul: *muttering* Damn virtual people…booing at me…

Dawn: *smiles at him* No need to worry! Just try harder next time! You'll get it!

Paul: *stares at her and looks away, bangs hiding his blush* Yeah…

Me: Awww! So Kawaii! X3

Paul: SHUT UP!


	7. DunDunDuuuunn!

**Author's Note!**

Hello, everyone! It's Akiko-chan! I just want you guys to know that Paul and I had a little bet…

Paul: That you're going to lose to. *smirks*

Me: Be quiet! So I bet Paul that I would at least get **5 good reviews** every time I put up a new chapter! If I win, Paul has to do something really embarrassing like take Dawn out on a date! X3

Paul: That'll never happen, because when you lose, you'll have to yell to the whole world that you're the **worst** Ikarishipping writer _ever_.

Me: What? Nuh-uh!

Paul: Yeah-huh!

Dawn: Paul, you're such a meanie! Why would you make her say that?

Paul: Because it's true. I mean, she only got one good review on the last chapter she made and she worked really hard on it too. It's probably because it sucked.

Me: *puppy dog eyes* What! I-It can't be! *sulks in the corner*

Dawn: Look what you did to poor Akiko-chan!

Paul: *shrugs* That just means my job here is done. *smirks* See ya. *walks away*

Dawn: Meanie! *sticks tongue out at him then turns to you* Please help Akiko-chan win the bet! She doesn't feel like she did a good job so please review!

Me: *thinks darkly* Maybe I am a bad author…a bad author, yeah…oh, look, a chocolate cookie… *reaches hand into a dark portal*

Dawn: Akiko-chan! No! DON'T GO TOWARDS THE DARK SIDE!


	8. Surprise, Surprise

**Let's Kick It Up A Notch!**

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Me: Hello, everyone! I'm back, and still alive! X3 Sadly, I have some bad news… I won't be continuing this story…

Dawn: What? Why not? D:

Me: *sighs* Well, now that Pokemon Black and White is out, I'm kinda not interested in this story anymore… I'm really sorry! DX

Dawn: So you're leaving us? *cries*

Me: Yeah… This will be the last chapter… But I just wanna take a moment to thank all of you who have been reading this fanfic and that I'm very grateful for your reviews and support! *faces Dawn* It's gonna be okay, Dawn! STAY STRONG! *hugs her*

Paul: *rolls his eyes* Whatever. I say good riddance.

Me: *sticks tongue out at him* Bully! Now do the disclaimer!

Paul: Fine. It'll be the last time I do it anyways. MoonlightNinja55 does not own Pokemon. However, she does own the characters she made.

Dawn: *sniffs* I'm gonna miss you!

Me: Me too! DX

Paul: I won't.

Me: NOBODY CARES! XP Well dear Readers, here it is! The last chapter! Please enjoy!

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**~Chapter 7: Surprise, Surprise~**

"Elekid! Use Thunderpunch!"

The electric pokemon reeled back its fist and punched at a tree. The tree was crushed by the force of the blow and it snapped in two, the bigger half of the tree crashing to the ground. Dirt clouds rose into the air, but Elekid just waved them away dismissively and smirked. A guy with short dark violet hair was standing a few feet behind him. His coal black eyes were hard to read and his lips were set in a fine line. His arms were crossed and he stared at his pokemon. Elekid stared back, waiting for any approval. After a few moments, Paul shook his head from side to side. "No, that was all wrong. You need to put more speed and power into it. Again! Thunderpunch!"

Elekid frowned in displeasure, but suppressed the urge to grunt and obeyed his command. He charged at another tree and punched it with more force. From a distance, a certain young bluette watched the training session in awe. She was sitting on a log with her legs crossed, her elbow on her thigh, and her chin resting in her hand.

"Is he _still_ training?" a familiar voice spoke.

Surprised, Dawn perked her head up and turned to see her childhood friend, Paxie. She had raven black hair that blended into hot pink at the tips and was tied into a one-sided ponytail by a yellow scrunchy. Also, her wavy bangs almost touched her lavender eyes that glittered like two amethysts.

"Yeah," Dawn replied with a heavy sigh and rested her chin in her hand once more. She gazed back at Paul and his Elekid. "It's been a while now…"

Paxie scoffed and placed her hands on her hips. "No kidding! He's been at it for like two hours straight! When's he gonna stop?"

"Knowing Paul, he probably won't stop until he thinks his pokemon are at their best," Dawn answered back.

"But you can't make your pokemon stronger if you just exhaust it!" Paxie argued in frustration. "Besides, I think the only reason he's making his dumb training regimens longer is because he lost to me yesterday." She smiled smugly when she said it.

"I heard that," Paul yelled to her.

"Good!" Paxie hollered back. "Now take a break, Mr. Perfectionist! You're not only hurting your pokemon, but you're killing the forest too! Just look!"

She pointed at the area where they had been training. It was covered with fallen trees and leaves. Paul, Dawn, and Elekid all sweat dropped.

"So a few trees are taken down. Big deal," Paul snapped. "And I'm not a perfectionist. I'm just trying to make sure my pokemon's moves are at their full potential."

"That's what a perfectionist is, stupid!" Paxie shouted back wryly.

"Shut the hell up, shortie!"

Dawn was shocked by this insult. She looked up at Paxie and expectantly saw her fume. Paxie lowered her bangs over her eyes and stomped straight up to Paul with fists clenched. Paul just glared at her as she approached, unfazed, but the smallest cold bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face.

When she finally got close enough, they weren't meeting eye to eye. Instead, her eyes were meeting his shoulder.

The corner of Paul's mouth tugged up. She growled.

"Th-This doesn't prove anything!" she stuttered in embarrassment. Paxie then grabbed her ponytail and held it straight up in the air. "See? I am taller than you!"

"Riiiight. Just keep thinking that, shrimp," Paul mocked as he pet her head. She didn't even have to look to see him smirking. Immediately, she slapped his hand away and scowled. "Urgh! Dawn!"

The bluette blinked twice and sat up. "Yes?"

"Who's taller? Paul or me?"

Dawn sweat dropped and stared at the two. She knew that she was put in the spotlight now. There were only two choices: Lie or hurt Paxie's feelings? She bit her bottom lip while she nervously replied, "Uhh…er…I think it's…well…"

Fortunately for her, a sudden boom rang out. They all looked up to see dark clouds gather in the sky. Plip! A single raindrop landed on Dawn's cheek. Plip! Plip! Plip! A few more landed on her forehead. Plip, plip, plip, plip, plip, plip! Suddenly, more and more and more raindrops fell until a huge torrent of rain was created. It showered the entire area and soaked into all of their clothes, pounding violently on their backs and heads. The thunder boomed and was so deafening, covering their ears wouldn't block out its ferocious sound. As for the lightning, it was like a white streak of light that sliced the sky in a second, but the rip would be instantly healed in another.

"Crap! We have to get out of here!" Paxie shrieked over the noise while putting her hood up. Without hesitation, Paul simply nodded and returned Elekid back into its poke ball. They then both ran toward Dawn who sat with her face buried in her knees and her hands over her head, trembling from the cold.

"C'mon, Dawn! Get up!" Paxie urged as she pulled her to her feet. "We need to meet up with Brock and Ash and find shelter!"

"A-Alright," Dawn agreed. Just then though, a blast of wind whipped their hair and flapped their clothes. They threw up their hands to cover themselves from the force and closed their eyes tight. Paxie tugged her hood down over her eyes and Paul used his arms to shield himself. Dawn was struggling to keep her skirt down when another gust of wind blew her hat right off her head.

"No! M-My hat…!" she cried, stretching out a hand, but she couldn't do anything. Helplessly, she watched the wind carry it away from her reach.

"Let's go!" Paxie kept insisting as she grabbed Dawn by the wrist and tried to move her. However, she stayed rooted to her spot. "What are you waiting for? C'mon!"

"But, Onee-chan, my hat…!" she pleaded, looking like a child who had lost her balloon. "I-I need it…"

"No, you don't! It's gone! Now we need to get moving!" Paul yelled angrily at her, his obsidian eyes blazing in irritation. Hot tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. A pang of guilt struck both Paul's and Paxie's heart. Paxie glared at him. "Paul! This isn't the time for your insults! You're only making things worse!"

"Why the hell is it my fault? She's the one who's bawling over something as ridiculous as a hat! We can always replace it!"

More thunder roared and the speed of the wind and rain only increased. Paul's eyes darted back and forth from the sky to Dawn's tearful face. Finally, he grunted and pinched the bridge of his nose. _"Damn it all…"_

"Put this on," Paul hastily ordered as he took off his dark blue jacket and wrapped it around Dawn. Paxie helped her put her arms through the arm holes as Dawn looked into his eyes. "What are you…?"

"You two go find Brock and Ash," he cut her off. "I'll go look for your stupid hat…"

"But, wait! Paul!"

It was too late. Paul was already going and Dawn's plea was drowned out by the noises of the wind, rain, and thunder. Paxie hugged Dawn close to her and they both ran in the opposite direction. Dawn's azure eyes kept watching Paul's back until he was completely engulfed by the rain. Her mind whispered only two words:

"Be careful…"

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(Theme song)

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After what seemed like forever, the storm had finally died down and the last of the raindrops rolled silently down the windowpane. The wind outside blew gently now, the clouds parted, the thunder quieted, and the lightning stopped. Dawn was gazing out the window, searching anxiously for a purple-haired guy to appear in the distance. She sighed with a heavy heart.

Dawn, Ash, Brock, Paxie, and their pokemon were now sitting down on the couches inside a Pokemon Center, waiting for Paul's return. Like normally, Piplup, Pikachu, and Paxie's Espeon, Elanor, were all at their master's side.

"So Paul went to look for Dawn's hat?" Ash questioned Paxie. She nodded her head with downcast eyes. "Yep…"

Brock and Ash exchanged surprised glances. "Wow, guess he's not so bad after all," Brock said. "Hope he's okay though…"

"Yeah, that storm was rough!" Ash added. "You think he's alright?"

"He has to be!"

Astonished, everyone turned their attention to Dawn. She blushed a little from all the attention and looked down. "I-I mean, he has to come back. He did give me his jacket…" She pulled it closer to her. Paxie smiled sympathetically and scooted over to her. "That's right! Besides, this is Paul we're talking about. He's not going to let some silly storm get him down!"

"Damn straight."

The doors of the Pokemon Center whooshed open and in walked the plum-haired guy, his hair and clothes dripping with water. Everybody was surprised. Dawn's crystal eyes glittered in joy. "Paul!"

Before she could stop herself, Dawn rushed over and threw her arms around him. Everybody was taken aback by her bold move, especially Paul. He felt his cheeks grow warm and his stomach twist.

"Paul, you're okay! Thank god!" she muttered into his chest. "I knew you would return!" At that moment, she realized what she was doing and she blushed furiously while loosening her hug. "I-I'm so sorry! I-I didn't mean to-!"

"W-Would you GET THE HELL OFF?" Paul shouted at her as he shoved her away. "What the hell is your problem?"

"Geez! I said I was sorry!" Dawn argued defensively with her hands clenched and one fist over her heart. "I was worried about you! Don't you care?"

"Hell no! I don't give a damn about your feelings!" he raged, the words flying out of his mouth. Dawn's jaw dropped, flabbergasted.

"WHAT? UGH! You are SUCH a JERK!" she shrieked at him harshly with a big red vein throbbing on the side of her head.

"Uh…should we stop them?" Ash whispered sideways to Paxie with a hand around his mouth.

"Psh, you go try! I'm not getting myself in that mess!" Paxie answered back.

"True, true," Ash agreed. Brock nodded his head in agreement as well.

"Oh, so that's the thanks I get? Fine! Here!" Paul slapped her hat on the floor in front of her feet. "Take you're damn hat back, troublesome girl!"

"Ok, fine! Here's your jacket!" Dawn took off the jacket, balled it up, and threw it at his face. "I don't need it anyways! It doesn't even go with my clothes!"

Paul removed the jacket from his face, revealing a very irritated expression. "Fine!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"FINE!"

"FINE!"

"FINE!"

"FIIINE!"

"FIIIINE!"

"FIIIIINE!"

"FI-!" Paul interrupted himself when he violently sneezed. "Achoo!"

"…?"

The room went awkwardly silent.

"…"

Confusion replaced Dawn's anger. "Wait, did you just…?"

"Achoooo!" he sneezed again. Everyone heard it.

"He did! He did just sneeze!" Paxie pointed out. "Don't tell me he caught a-?"

He sneezed again. "Achoooooo!"

"Here, let me see," Dawn said, drawing nearer and placing her hand over his forehead. She instantly reeled it back and grabbed hold of it. "Oh my goodness! You're burning up!"

"No, damn it, leave me alone!" Paul mumbled. "I'm just…I'm fine, just feeling…a bit…dizzy…" All of a sudden, he lost his balance and collapsed. Everyone gasped.

"Paul!" Dawn cried.

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(A little while later…)

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"Ugh…" Paul grunted. "What happened…?"

As he slowly began to open his eyes, light and colors replaced the darkness. A few seconds went by before his vision adjusted and became clear. The first thing he saw were Brock and Ash, hovering over him with concern written on their faces.

"Hey, you're up! Are you feeling okay?" Ash asked politely, but Paul took it as stupidity and frowned.

"Yeah, when people look like crap, they obviously feel 'okay'. Thanks for asking," Paul snidely replied as he got up from the couch he was lying on and removed the wet towel off his forehead.

"Hey, it was just a question! You don't have to get sarcastic!" Ash retorted while tightening his fists. The two rivals then death glared at each other hard. Pikachu, Brock, Paxie, and Elanor all sweat dropped.

"Well, it looks like things are back to normal," Brock commented. "Oh, right! By the way, thanks for getting Dawn's hat back, Paul. That was nice of you to do."

Paul switched his glare to him. "I didn't do it because I wanted to. I did it to stop that troublesome girl's crying." At that moment, even though he didn't show it, a realization hit him and he scanned the room. They were still inside the Pokemon Center, but it was awfully quiet now. "Hey, where is Troublesome anyways?"

"_Dawn_ is out getting medicine for you at the pharmacy with Piplup. Why? I thought you didn't care about her?" Paxie replied, an edge of disgust in her tone. Paul narrowed his eyes at her.

"What? I never said that."

"Well you definitely said that you didn't care about her feelings."

Paul winced. Now he remembered. He had that stupid little argument with Troublesome before passing out. He let out a frustrated sigh and rubbed his temples. A headache was coming on. "Look, I didn't mean it like that…"

"So what _did_ you mean?"

"I…I don't know! Just…achooo!" He sneezed into his jacket sleeve.

"Bless you," they all said to him. Paul just gave a "hmph."

"Fine."

They watched him get up and head for the door.

"Wait! Where you going?" Paxie called after him.

"None of your business," he called back without stopping.

"Shouldn't you rest a bit more? You're still sick," Brock advised.

"I'll be alright."

"Hey! So does this mean you do care about Dawn?" Paxie yelled out before he left.

But of course, Paul didn't stop to give an answer.

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"I just don't get him!" Dawn huffed as she was walking down the sidewalk, carrying Piplup in her arms.

"I mean, he strangely does something nice for me for a change by going off to get my hat, lets me borrow his jacket, I wait for him, he comes back, I hug him because I was glad he wasn't hurt, then he turns on me, shouts to me that he doesn't give a…hoot about my feelings, and then we have a big fight! Sure, I caught him by surprise, but it didn't give him the right to be such a…a…jerk! That's all he ever is! He deserved to be called that! He's nothing but a big, fat, stinky, JERK!"

"Thank you. I try my best."

Dawn practically felt her heart burst from her chest as she whirled around and widened her eyes. "P-Paul! What are you doing out here? You're supposed to be resting at the Pokemon Center."

"I was…" he answered back coolly.

"…So? What are you doing out _here_?" Dawn pressed impatiently.

"Pip, piplup!" Piplup agreed, as if to say, "Yeah, mister!"

"_What _am_ I doing here_?" Paul thought to himself in annoyance. "_I hardly understand what I'm doing these days. I would have thought risking my life, battling an amateur, and enduring mother nature's wrath all to find one stupid, replaceable hat to be simply ridiculous to even try before. So why did I do those crazy things for her? Wait a minute… No! I didn't do it for her. What am I thinking? I risked my life because it was the right thing to do. I battled her friend because she challenged me and knew I was no coward. I searched for her damn hat because she's more irritating when she's crying. End of story._"

Yet, something told him he was just lying to himself, but he quickly squashed the notion.

"Paul! Paul?" Dawn called to him as she waved a hand in his face. He abruptly snapped out of his thoughts and glared at her. "What is it?"

"Well, you don't have to give me that attitude!" she pouted while crossing her arms. Piplup did the same. Dawn then turned on her heel. "Whatever. I'm going to the pharmacy to pick up your medicine."

She began to walk away, but Paul stopped her by grabbing her arm. "No. I'm coming with you."

She blinked several times. The way he said it didn't even sound like a question. It was a command. "What? But, Paul, you're sick…"

On cue, he turned his head and coughed a throaty cough. He then let go of her, dug his hands deep into his pocket, and started to walk ahead. "I have to. Who else is going to stop you from being clumsy? You just might drop the bottle of medicine."

"Clumsy!" she retorted, catching up to him. "I am NOT clumsy."

"Just this morning you dropped the plates we were going to use for breakfast," Paul reminded her with a smirk. A blush crept onto her cheeks.

"H-Hey! That's so not fair! I couldn't see where I was going with the stack of dishes in my face!"

"I don't know why you carried so many. Then you tripped over on Paxie's tent. While _she_ was still in it."

Remembering it now, Dawn relaxed and giggled. "And then she started flailing her arms around in the tent, trying to get out. So Brock decided to help her out, but ended up getting a boot to the face because she was still changing!"

"Then she got up…"

"…and began chasing Ash and the pokemon, looking like a green Gastly or something!" Dawn had to burst out laughing when she said that. The people they passed by only threw glances of wonder and confusion in their direction, but other than that, Piplup and Paul seemed glad that the bluette was feeling better.

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"Didn't Dawn say she wanted to be alone?" Ash asked Paxie.

"Yep!" she beamed as she stroked the velvet fur on Elanor's head. Paxie sat on the couch with her feet on the floor while Elanor lay on the couch, her head resting on Paxie's lap.

"Then, why did you…?"

"Well, Ash, it's like this. When a girl wants to be alone, she really just wants to be comforted. She wants someone to be there to help her deal with the conflicting feelings of sadness, anger, frustration, guilt, and uncertainty. However, you have to be able to tell if this is the case. For example, if she's feeling indecisive about her decision to have some alone time, that's the time to act! But, if she's like dead serious and looks ready to blow a fuse, you need to give her time to cool down because us girls love our personal space almost as much as being in the company of others and-!"

"Paxie! BREATHE!" Brock interrupted to stop her rambling lecture. "Breathe, and slow down! You're going to melt his brain!"

Paxie immediately noticed the bewilderment written on Ash's face and took a deep breath. She exhaled slowly and apologized. "Ehehe…sorry about that! I tend to do that sometimes…"

"Um…okay?" Ash responded, still quite unsure. So Paxie offered the only thing that could help.

"You know, we aren't really doing anything right now except waiting for Paul and Dawn to come back. How about we go outside and have a battle?"

Life lit up in Ash's spirits as well as Pikachu's. "Really? You mean it?"

Paxie nodded and smiled. "Why not? After all, we must cure our boredom! What do you say, Elanor? You up for it?"

The Espeon perked her head up and grinned at the challenge. "Espeon, espe, espe! (I'm always up for it, milady!)"

"And I'm up for being the referee," Brock happily agreed to be.

"Alright! Then let's go have ourselves a battle!" Paxie declared as she punched the air enthusiastically. Everyone cheered and headed out the door.

Suddenly though, just as Paxie was about to be the first one out, the glass doors slid open and someone was actually heading in. Without any time to stop, Paxie and the stranger collided into each other and fell backwards with a thud.

"Owwww!" Paxie whined in pain. She felt a major headache throbbing in her head now. Brock, Ash, and the pokemon crowded her in concern.

"Paxie! Are you alright?" Brock worriedly questioned.

"Y-Yeah, I'm alright…" she replied.

"What happened?" Ash asked.

"HEY! What's the big idea? Watch where you're going next time!"

Everyone except Paxie turned to see the guy who she bumped into.

"Sorry, it was an accident," Brock apologized for her. "It won't happen again."

"Yeah, you better hope so!" the guy snorted. "I ought to fine you a million dollars for it!"

And just like that, a memory triggered in Paxie's mind.

"_Wait a second…that voice…and that phrase!_" Paxie thought frantically. "_No…it can't be…after all this time…?_"

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Dawn, Piplup, and Paul were nearing the pharmacy now. It was right next door to the Poke Mart; very convenient to pokemon trainers. It was around that time that Paul decided to reluctantly say something to Dawn. He mumbled it at first, but she didn't hear him. Then he muttered it, and it seemed to catch her attention.

"Did you say something Paul?" Dawn asked.

"I said I was…" But he trailed off and murmured it.

"What?"

"I said I was…" It was barely a whisper.

"Spit it out, Paul!"

"I'm sorry, damn it!" he shouted at her. They stopped walking and the people around them stopped walking and stared at them weirdly. Paul grumbled, grabbed her arm again, and brought her away, hastily explaining, "I'm sorry I've hurt your feelings or whatever, okay? I'll try not to do it again, but if I do, just…slap me or something…but tell me what I did wrong first before you do…"

Dawn was surprised. "Are…are you really apologizing for being a jerk?"

"Is it working?"

He was taken aback when he saw her trying hard not to laugh, but ended up laughing out loud anyways. He glared at her, but a slight tint of pink was shown on his cheeks. "What the hell is so funny?"

"Nothing! It's just…wow," she answered, smiling. "It seems so out of your character, that's all."

"Hmph. Don't be getting used to it, Troublesome," he said before sliding his hands into his pockets again. However, he felt her take out one of his hands and laced her hand with his. He looked back at her with wide eyes.

"Thank you," she appreciated as she warmly grinned. "Thank you for apologizing, for returning my hat, and for letting me borrow your jacket. I'm sorry I was so upset with you too."

All of a sudden, Paul felt himself drawn into her deep azure eyes. He had to admit, no matter how cheesy it sounded, they were so beautiful, more beautiful than clear skies or the crystal waters of the ocean. Her face was beautiful too, a nice shape and such soft creamy white skin. In fact everything about her was beautiful. Her hair, her smile, her laugh…

"You're…" Paul whispered, thinking to himself out loud.

Dawn raised a brow. "Huh? I'm what?"

The word was just on the tip of his tongue, and he would have said it to her, right there and then, had he not realized what a complete fool he would make of himself.

"_What the hell is wrong with me?_" he cursed himself while kicking himself inwardly.

"…welcome," he at last finished. "You're welcome."

Dawn stared at him in confusion. So did Piplup.

"Dawn? Is that you?"

At the sound of her name, Dawn searched for the person who called it and gasped.

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Paxie quickly brought herself up to her feet and stared in shock. She felt her body go numb as she locked eyes with the blonde-haired boy from her childhood. He was wearing a green scarf around his neck, an orange and white horizontal stripped shirt, dark gray jeans, and brown shoes. She saw his eyes widen. He realized it too.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Dawn stared in disbelief at a boy with short dark red hair with bangs swept to the side. He had on a dark green long-sleeved shirt under a light green T-shirt that had a single white bar in the middle. He also wore light grey pants and sneakers.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

At that moment, at the same time, Paxie and Barry pointed at each other and shouted one thing.

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Dawn didn't know what else to say, so she just pointed and yelled out.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"YOU!"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

And that's the end! No more!

Dawn: But you left us hanging! What's going to happen next?

Me: Well I was going to explain Paxie's past with Dawn, Barry, and Kenny in the next chapters, but I can't. I'm really sorry!

Dawn: Awwww! *cries some more and hugs* Good-bye, Akiko!

Me: Bye, Dawn! *hugs back*

Paul: Oh, gag me.

Me: Shut up and just join the group hug!

Paul: …no.

Me: ATTACK! *me and Dawn shuffles our feet to reach Paul*

Paul: WTH? G-GET AWAY!

Me: You can't escape the hug, Paul! XD Farewell, Readers!


End file.
